Sympathectomy does not influence experimental itch and cutaneous temperature perception thresholds.
The effect of endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy on experimentally histamine-induced itch was studied in seven patients, all of whom were suffering from palmar hyperhidrosis; cutaneous warm, cold, and heat pain perception thresholds were also studied in five of these seven patients. Surgery was effective in abolishing palmar sweating in all patients. No significant differences were seen in itch, flare, wheal, or thermal perception thresholds following sympathectomy as compared to the preoperative period. These findings suggest that the sympathetic system may be of limited importance for somatosensory perception in healthy humans during normal conditions.
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