Occurrence of Diastasis of the Rectus Abdominis Muscles in Patients with Medial Pectus Excavatum.

Since 1994, we have used soft silicone blocks sculpted intraoperatively to correct pectus excavatum in male patients. This technique involves a horizontal access incision in the region of the lower edge of the sternum. During the dissection to expose the sternum, we observed a constant diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle and changes of the anatomy at its superior insertion. There is no report on this association. METHODS: Male patients with untreated medial pectus excavatum with indication for silicone block correction were enrolled. Age, weight, height, and the presence of other associated conditions were noted. Ultrasound examination was performed. During the surgery, the width of the linea alba was evaluated and the anatomical positioning of the insertion of rectus abdominis muscle was noted. RESULTS: From 2017 to 2019, 10 patients were submitted to surgery. The mean age was 27 years. All patients presented diastasis at the preoperative physical examination. Imaging examination reports showed diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle: seven partial epigastric separations and three total separations, two of which were associated with umbilical hernia. The intraoperative findings showed the line alba with a minimum of 23 mm and a maximum of 45 mm width at 4 cm from the xiphoid process edge. The muscle borders presented a curved lateral deviation up to the insertion in the costal arches with a distance ranging from 35 mm to 60 mm. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the anatomical alterations of the superior portion of the rectus abdominis muscle. The authors discuss the surgical consequences and suggest that the semiology of rectus abdominis muscle is an important preoperative action in pectus excavatum patients.

Long-term results of the use of oxybutynin for the treatment of axillary hyperhidrosis.

BACKGROUND: Axillary hyperhidrosis (AH) is a common disease, with a significant impact on quality of life (QOL). Good short-term results are reported with oxybutynin, but longer follow-up data are lacking. We evaluated its effectiveness in a large series of patients who were not surgically treated and who had at least 6 months of follow-up. METHODS: From September 2007 to September 2013, 431 consecutive patients were enrolled in "pharmacological first" protocol for treatment of AH with oxybutynin. Thirty-four patients were lost to follow-up, and data are available for 397 patients treated for at least 6 weeks. Data at the start of the protocol, 6 weeks after beginning treatment, and at final visit were analyzed. RESULTS: One hundred fourteen patients (28.7%) did not improve and were referred for surgery (sympathectomy). Eight patients (2.01%) presented significant side effects (e.g. dry mouth) and discontinued therapy. Twenty-six patients (9.4%) preferred surgery over pharmacologic treatment. Sixty-two patients have not yet been under treatment for 6 months. The 181 patients with more than 6 months of follow-up (median: 17 months, range: 6-72) were analyzed as follows: 82.9% of patients presented moderate or great improvement in AH and 89% of patients presented improvement in other sites of hyperhidrosis after a median of 17 months. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with good initial response to oxybutynin, >80% presented moderate or great improvement in axillary and in other sites of excessive sweating. Results were particularly better in women and those who presented better QOL after 6 weeks.

Morphometric analysis of thoracic ganglion neurons in subjects with and without primary palmar hyperhidrosis.

BACKGROUND: Hyperhidrosis (HH) is a disease whose physiopathology remains poorly understood and that adversely affects quality of life. There is no morphologic study that includes an adequate control group that allows for comparison of the ganglion of HH to those of normal individuals. The purpose of study was to analyze morphologic and morphometric characteristics of the ganglion from patients with HH and normal individuals (organ donators). METHODS: This was a transversal study. The sympathetic thoracic ganglia were obtained from 2 groups of patients. Group PH (palmar hyperhidrosis), 40 patients with palmar HH submitted to surgery by video-assisted thoracoscopy, and group C (control group), 14 deceased individuals (control group of organ donators) without any history of HH. The third left sympathetic thoracic ganglion was resected in all patients. RESULTS: We observed higher number of cells in the PH group than in the control group (14.25 + 3.81 vs. 10.65 + 4.93) with P = 0.007; the mean percentage of ganglion cells stained by caspases-3 in the PH group was significantly greater than that of the C group (2.37 + 0.79 vs. 0.77 + 0.28) with P < 0.001; the mean value of area of collagen in the PH group was 0.80 IQ (0.08-1.87), and in the control group it was 2.36 IQ (0.49-5.98) with P = 0.061. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with primary palmar HH have a higher number of ganglion cells within the ganglion and a higher number of cells in apoptosis. Also, the subjects of PH group have less collagen in the sympathetic ganglion when compared with the control group, but not statistically significant.

Quality of life before hyperhidrosis treatment as a predictive factor for oxybutynin treatment outcomes in palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis.

BACKGROUND: Studies have suggested that quality of life (QOL) evaluation before video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy for patients with hyperhidrosis may serve as a predictive factor for positive postoperative outcomes. Our study aims to analyze if this tendency is also observed in patients treated with oxybutynin for palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis. METHODS: Five hundred sixty-five patients who submitted to a protocol treatment with oxybutynin were retrospectively analyzed between January 2007 and January 2012 and were divided into 2 groups according to QOL assessment before treatment. The groups consisted of 176 patients with "poor" and 389 patients with "very poor" QOL evaluation before oxybutynin treatment. Outcomes involving improvements in QOL and clinical progression of hyperhidrosis were evaluated using a validated clinical questionnaire that was specifically designed to assess satisfaction in patients with excessive sweating. RESULTS: Improvements in hyperhidrosis after oxybutynin were observed in 65.5% of patients with very poor pretreatment QOL scores and in 75% of patients with poor pretreatment QOL scores, and the only adverse event associated with oxybutynin treatment was dry mouth, which was observed with greater intensity in patients with very poor initial QOL evaluation. CONCLUSION: Improvements in hyperhidrosis after oxybutynin treatment were similar in both groups, suggesting that QOL before treatment is not a predictive factor for clinical outcomes, contrasting with surgical results that disclose significantly better results in patients with initially poorer QOL analysis.

Long-term comparison of video-assisted thoracic sympathectomy and clinical observation for the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis in children younger than 14.

The results of video-assisted thoracic sympathectomy (VATS)in children are unknown. To investigate the improvement in quality of life (QOL) of a group of 45 children who did and did not undergo VATS for the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis (PH) 4 years after the initial evaluation. Forty-five children with PH were initially evaluated. Children were divided into two groups: 30 in the VATS group and 15 in the control group. We studied the evolution of PH, negative effect of hyperhidrosis on the QOL before the treatment, and improvement in QOL after treatment. Twenty-five patients (83.4%) in the VATS group experienced great improvement in PH, and five (16.6%) experienced partial improvement; 12 (80.0%) children from the control group had some type of improvement, and three (20.0%) had partial improvement. Two (13.3%) children in the control group and 23 (76.7%) in the VATS group had great improvement in QOL. For children with PH and poor QOL, VATS is better than no treatment. It produces better results with regard to sweating and greater improvement in QOL.

Is sympathectomy at T4 level better than at T3 level for treating palmar hyperhidrosis?

PURPOSE: We compared the results from a video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy (VTS) at the T4 denervation level with those from a VTS at the T3 level for the treatment of palmar hyperhydrosis (PH). METHODS: Seventy patients with PH were prospectively followed for VTS at the T3 or T4 denervation levels for 6 months. The end points of this study were: absence of PH, compensatory hyperhydrosis (CH), and quality-of-life assessment. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients reported a complete resolution of PH after surgery. One failure occurred in the T3 group and 2 in the T4 group. When anhydrosis was obtained, we noticed totally dry hands in 26 patients in the T3 group and 6 patients in the T4 group. The other 27 patients in the T4 group and 8 in the T3 group maintained a small level of sweating and were also considered to be therapeutic successes. At 6 months, 25 patients in the T4 group had some degree of CH (71.42%) and all patients in the T3 group (100%), though the T4 group had a lower degree of severity of CH at the 6-month follow-up (P < 0.05). After the operation, quality of life was improved similarly in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: VTS at either the T3 or T4 level provides an effective treatment for PH. VTS at the T4 level is associated with a less severe form of CH. Despite the occurrence of CH, patients' quality of life is significantly improved following VTS at the T3 or T4 levels. For this reason, the T4 resection can now be used as a treatment for PH.