Efficacy Analysis of Minimally Invasive Surgery for Raynaud’s Syndrome

Abstract

Background Raynaud’s syndrome (RS) is a rare autonomic nervous system disorder and is also known as Raynaud’s disease, cold agglutinin disease, etc. With the evolution of microsurgical techniques, undergoing minimally invasive surgery in combination with adventitial release and sympathectomy for the affected limbs greatly improves locoregional blood circulation and neurological function. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on RS patients who reported to the Department of Hand & Foot Surgery (Microsurgery), Binzhou Medical University Hospital. The patients were divided into experimental and control groups. Fifteen (5 of whom had fingertip soft tissue necrosis, with no phalangeal exposure or infection) experimental group patients underwent microscopic adventitial release and sympathectomy. They were given nifedipine, conventional lamp, and heat therapies for the affected fingers during the perioperative period, followed by postoperative analgesic drugs. Fifteen control group patients who refused surgery or were treated non-surgically underwent treatment with nifedipine, conventional lamp, and heat therapies for the affected fingers. All patients provided informed consent. Results Various outcome measures like the VAS pain score, RCS score, Quick-DASH scale score, digital ulcer score, and cold water stimulation test results in the experimental group were significantly improved when compared with the control group patients; no recurrence was observed during the follow-up. Conclusion After adventitial release and sympathectomy in RS patients, improved symptoms, a faster capillary reaction time of the affected fingertips, and significant pain alleviation demonstrated that microscopic adventitial release along with sympathectomy was greatly effective in RS patients.