Definitive diagnosis and management of axillary hyperhidrosis: the VapoMeter and suction-assisted arthroscopic shaving.

BACKGROUND: Axillary hyperhidrosis is a benign, yet significant, disability that not only impairs social interaction but also affects occupational activities.

OBJECTIVES: The author provides a detailed description of axillary shaving, a procedure with proven results. He also describes the use of the VapoMeter (Delfin Technologies, Stamford, Connecticut), which accurately and easily measures sweating in g/m(2)/h.

METHODS: Although a total of 45 patients have received this surgery since 2005, this report includes only the last eight patients (16 axilla) for whom both pre- and postoperative VapoMeter readings are available.

RESULTS: The average preoperative VapoMeter reading was 473 g/m(2)/h (range, 98-998), which improved to an average of 58 g/m(2)/h postoperatively (range, 21-227). As a comparison, controls for all axilla had an average measurement of 23.7 g/m(2)/h (range, 18-31).

CONCLUSIONS: When combined with the effective surgical technique of axillary shaving, the VapoMeter provides an objective measure to both definitively diagnose and confirm results of the shaving. With this protocol, patients who require surgical intervention for their hyperhidrosis can be reassured that the procedure is indeed effective in improving their condition.