Sympathectomy vs. sympathotomy are they the same?
With all respect to another answer posted here, Sympathectomy and Sympathotomy are not only not the same procedure with the same outcome, but Sympathotomy does NOT involve clamping. I underwent Sympathotomy at Mayo Clinic, which is where this procedure was pioneered and to my knowledge the only location it is performed. There seems to be less incidence of severe compensatory sweating with Sympathotomy, and there is a study currently underway at Mayo that explores the occurence of this potentially debilitating side effect. I have written a 40 page report on the risks and benefits of ETS surgery for hyperhidrosis, which is available for free on my website. In it, I go into great detail about my experience in undergoing Sympathotomy at Mayo.
Charmaine
Publisher, http://www.HyperhidrosisAndMe.com
Recently the term sympathectomy has been replaced by the word sympathotomy on some websites. Many patients are wondering what the difference is. To simplify this confusion both have basically the same end result in which the sympathetic chain is rendered inactive either by destructional methods (cauterization or excision). In sympathotomy the same end result is achieved with the clamping method in which small titanium clamps are used. For more frequently asked questions please go to: Hyperhidrosis Frequently Asked Questions Page – At The Center For Hyperhidrosis.
