A number of possible complications can happen as a result of having an endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS). For example, you may experience:
- haemothorax
- Horner’s syndrome
- compensatory excessive sweating
These complications are discussed below.
Haemothorax
Studies show that an endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) can lead to complications, such as excessive sweating and haemothorax. A haemothorax is when blood gathers in the space between your lungs and the walls of your chest (pleural cavity).
If this occurs, a drainage tube will need to be inserted to drain away any excess fluid. However, this operation is rare.
Although ETS has proved to be an effective treatment for facial blushing, it is important to carefully consider all of the potential complications before deciding to have surgery.
Horner's syndrome
Some people have experienced adverse effects after having surgery for blushing, such as Horner's syndrome, which affects the nerves and muscles of the eye and eyelid.
Horner's syndrome makes your eyelid droop and your eye to appear sunken into your face. The pupil of your eye gets smaller and there is less sweating in the affected part of your face.
People with Horner’s syndrome usually make a full recovery over time. However, a full recovery does not happen in all cases.
Compensatory excessive sweating
Another common side effect of surgery for severe blushing is compensatory excessive sweating. This is where you sweat in other areas of your body in contrast to your original problem areas. The compensatory sweating usually happens on the chest or on the back.
Sweating is the natural way for your body to regulate your temperature. As surgery involves cutting some of the nerves in your face, which stops sweating in that area, your body may compensate, which causes sweating in other areas.
Around 1 in 100 people will have severe compensatory sweating that can become a major problem.
