Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy for chronic pain: Results from a multicenter questionnaire survey

Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) has recently been used to treat chronic pain in the upper limbs. We conducted a survey to investigate the efficacy of ETS for treatment of chronic pain using a multicenter questionnaire in Japan. We sent questionnaires to 71 hospitals known to employ the procedure to block thoracic sympathetic trunks. Answers were received from 33 (46%) institutions, of which 12 (36%) had used ETS for treatment of a total of 35 patients suffering from chronic pain. The answers revealed that 60% of the patients experienced pain relief within 6 months of the ETS procedure, while 6 months or later, the percentage decreased to 34%. We concluded that ETS seemed to have, at best, temporary effect and should be carefully chosen as a method to treat chronic pain.