Percutaneous Upper Thoracic Radiofrequency Sympathectomy in Raynaud Phenomenon

Abstract

Thoracic RF upper sympathectomy is an effective method in the treatment of resistant forms of Raynaud phenomenon. A single-shot procedure at the level of T2 may be preferable because of the shorter procedure duration of this technique.

Thoracic sympathectomy for digital ischemia: A summary of evidence

“…One study was randomized but lacked a control group. 11 One article provided data on ulcer healing only. 14 A total of 728 procedures were performed on 580 patients with upper limb ischemia.…”

“…[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] There were no randomized controlled trials. One study was randomized but lacked a control group.…”

“…One study was randomized, but did not have a control group. 11 The remaining studies were retrospective. There is a need for randomized controlled trials to provide more solid, evidence-based recommendations.…”

“…Three studies mentioned the number of patients included but did not indicate the total number of procedures, and we assumed all procedures were unilateral. [11][12][13] Five articles described the outcomes for the total of patients, rather than procedures. If conversion to the total of procedures was impossible, we assumed that they were all unilateral.…”