WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- People plagued by excessively sweaty palms may gain relief from injections guided by CT-scanning technology, a new study finds.
A Belgian study of 50 patients with palmar hyperhidrosis -- caused by overactivity of the nervous system -- found that CT fluoroscopy enables precise needle guidance, minimizing risks and discomfort for patients.
CT-guided fluoroscopy is a 20-minute procedure that requires no anesthesia. A single needle puncture is made through the upper back, and CT guidance is then used to inject a phenol-based medication that interrupts the nerve tracts and nodes that transmit signals to the sweat glands.
The success rate was 94 percent in this study, said researchers at the Centre Hospitalier Hornu-Frameries, in Hornu, Belgium. No major complications were observed, although 16 patients suffered temporary chest pain and thoracic discomfort.
"This CT-guided percutaneous technique is the most secure treatment today and stops sweating from the hands to the armpits with very little chance of recurrence," study author Dr. Hugues Brat, head of the center's radiology department, said in a prepared statement.
The study was presented Tuesday at the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting, in Chicago.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about hyperhidrosis.
