A Discussion On the Transient Neurological Phenomenon of Osmidrosis Surgery

1. Letter to Editor

The current literature on the complications of osmidrosis surgery is focused on postoperative hematoma, skin flap erosion or necrosis, skin pigmentation, scarring or recurrence. Little is known about the common but transient and reversible cutaneous nerve injury. The purpose of this paper is to document neurological complaints from the patients to improve future post-surgical care for patients of osmodrosis surgery. This study analyzed 118 subjects who went through osmidrosis surgery in our clinic. The osmidrosis operation is performed to out-patients in our clinic under local anesthesia. Two small 5mm incisions are made under the armpit for subcutaneous dissection. Then a small scissor is used to cut off the apocrine gland manually. After the surgery, the incision is secured with yarn ball to prevent hematoma. The yarn ball is removed two days after the surgery. Among the 118 subjects, 13 patients complained of transient neuropathic related problems within three months after surgery either one or both axillae. The proportion of those with transient nerve injuries is quite high, but all normalized and recovered within a period of three months (Table 1).