《美国外科医师协会杂志》（Journal of the American College of Surgeons ）发表文章揭示：胸腔镜手术对手汗症患者的生活质量的提高具有显著作用。手汗症患者若不进行手术治疗，在社交满意度、生活舒适感等方面明显低于常人。

利用胸腔镜对手汗症患者进行微创手术的有效率已经达到93％－100％，但是如果不进行手术治疗是不是对患者的社交生活没有影响呢？如果有影响，那么影响有多大呢？长期以来，医生和患者都有这样的疑问。这也牵涉到手汗症患者需不需要进行胸腔镜治疗的争论。

由Southern Illinois University School of Medicine开展的研究给出了明确的答案。他们选取了1998年-2005年确诊为手汗症的60名患者为研究对象，其中48名患者符合研究要求。26 名患者进行了胸腔镜微创治疗，22名患者则没有进行手术治疗。然后跟踪评估他们的生活质量以及社交满意程度等。

具体结论是：
在没有治疗的22名手汗症患者当中，对社交感到很困难的有13名，有9名感到对社交还可以；进食不受手汗影响的有9名，书写的时候不受影响的有10名，
在手术治疗的26名手汗症患者当中，对社交非常擅长的有23名，在握手的时候感觉满意的有23名，进食感到很满意的有25名，书写的时候很舒适的有23名。

最后得到结论：手汗症患者如果不进行胸腔镜手术治疗的话，在社交、生活、生存质量等方面将会受到很大影响。

下面是该研究发表的论文：
The Effect of Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy on Quality of Life and Symptom Management of Hyperhidrosis

Theresa M. Boley MSN, , Kelli N. Belangee BS, Stephen Markwell MA† and Stephen R. Hazelrigg MD
†Division of Statistics and Research Consulting, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL.
Department of Surgery, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL
Received 5 October 2006; revised 22 November 2006; accepted 4 December 2006. Available online 30 January 2007.

Background（背景）
Success with thoracoscopic sympathectomy (TS) for hyperhidrosis is 93% to 100%. We wished to determine if hyperhidrosis patients who do not undergo TS have decreased quality of life (QOL).

Study design（实验设计）
Data collection was retrospective, with telephone calls to hyperhidrosis patients who qualified for sympathectomy. Data collection included assessing sweating severity; overall QOL; social, professional, and cosmetic satisfaction; and comfort with daily activities.

Results（结果）
Between 1998 and 2005, 60 patients met the criteria for sympathectomy. Twenty-two patients who qualified but did not undergo operations (no TS) and 26 TS patients were contacted. Change in symptoms on a 10-point scale for hands was: no TS, −0.30 and TS, −6.25, p < 0.0001, and QOL, on a 1-to-5 scale, increased (no TS, 0.27 and TS, 1.65, p = 0.0003). Satisfaction was very good/excellent socially for 9 of 22 no TS patients and 23 of 26 TS patients (p = 0.002); professionally for 12 of 22 no TS patients and 23 of 26 TS patients (p = 0.021); and cosmetically for 10 of 22 no TS patients and 23 of 26 TS patients (p = 0.004). Patients were very satisfied with shaking hands (9 of 22 no TS patients and 24 of 26 TS patients, p = 0.0003); writing (9 of 11 no TS patients and 25 of 26 TS patients, p = 0.0001); eating (11 of 22 no TS patients and 25 of 25 TS patients, p = 0.0008). TS patients had more sweating on the abdomen (no TS patients, 0.0 and TS patients, 1.75, p = 0.0001), on the groin (no TS patients, 0.00 and TS patients, 2.9, p = 0.0009), and on the back (no TS patients, 0.48 and TS patients, 4.96, p = 0.0001). QOL was very good/excellent at followup for 13 of 22 no TS patients and 23 of 26 TS patients (p = 0.04).

Conclusions（结论）
TS controls palmar hyperhidrosis, and, despite compensatory sweating, patients having the procedure are very satisfied. Patients who did not have surgery have decreased satisfaction, comfort, and QOL, and increased symptoms.