Prevalence and clinical relevance of liver dysfunction after thoracic surgery: a retrospective study.

Postoperative elevation of serum aminotransferase or alkaline phosphatase levels after liver and heart surgeries has been widely reported. The prevalence and clinical significance of hypertransaminasemia/liver dysfunction after thoracic surgery remains largely unknown. Significant differences in surgical procedures between thoracic and extra-thoracic surgeries may suggest different risks of liver dysfunction. We retrospectively analyzed data from 224 consecutive patients who underwent thoracic surgery. Liver function tests were recorded the day before surgery, 12 h, 1 day, 5, and 10 days after the surgical procedure. Patients were studied to identify the frequency of hypertransaminasemia and/or hyperbilirubinemia and/or increase of INR levels. 37,5% of patients showed an increase in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level after thoracic surgery, whereas an increase in gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) serum levels of any grade was observed in 53,6% of patients. Approximately 83% of patients who experienced an increase in the serum GGT or ALT levels showed a grade 1 or 2 change. Operative time was associated with hypertransaminasemia in the univariate and multivariate analyses, whereas the use of metformin was associated with a lower risk of ALT increase.

Surgical management of compensatory sweating: A systematic review.

Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) surgery is a highly effective treatment of primary hyperhidrosis (PH) for the palms, face, axillae. Compensatory sweating (CS) is the most common and feared side effect of thoracic sympathectomy. CS is a phenomenon characterized by increased sweating in sites distal to the level of sympathectomy. Compensatory sweating is the main problem for which many patients give up surgery, losing the chance to solve their problem and accepting a poor quality of life. There are still no treatments that offer reliable solutions for compensatory sweating. The treatments proposed in the literature are scarce, with low case histories, and with uncertain results. Factors associated with CS are extension of manipulation of the sympathetic chain, level of sympathetic denervation, and body mass index. Therapeutic options include non surgical treatment and surgical treatment. Non surgical treatments include topical agents, botulinum toxin, systemic anticholinergics, iontophoresis. Surgical treatments include clip removal, extended sympathectomy and sympathetic chain reconstruction, although the efficacy is not well-established for all the methods. In this review we provide an overview of the treatments and outcomes described in the literature for the management of compensatory CS, with focus on surgical treatment.