Background: Compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) is a frequent complication following sympathectomy, influencing patient satisfaction. This study was established to evaluate the impact of bilateral thoracoscopic sympathetic nerve block (TSNB) on patient satisfaction after sympathectomy in the treatment of primary hyperhidrosis. Methods: From March 2021 to August 2023, 52 patients with primary palmar and craniofacial hyperhidrosis underwent TSNB at T3 using a 2-mm thoracoscope under local anesthesia. One week later, they decided whether to proceed with sympathectomy. Satisfaction was assessed using a 100-point scale, and patients were divided into two groups based on CH occurrence after sympathectomy. The groups were compared in terms of sex, age, hyperhidrosis site, and satisfaction scores. Results: Among 52 patients who underwent TSNB, 35 (67.31%) proceeded to sympathectomy, and CH occurred in 18 (51.43%) of these patients, while the remaining 17 patients (48.57%) did not develop CH. No significant differences were observed between the CH and no-CH groups regarding age (26.61±9.02 vs. 25.41±10.09 years, P=0.66), sex (61.11% vs. 52.94% male, P=0.88), or primary hyperhidrosis site (palmar: 77.78% vs. 88.24%, P=0.66). Satisfaction scores were comparable between the CH group (92.50±7.33) and the no-CH group (96.18±4.52), with no statistically significant difference (P=0.15). Conclusions: Sympathectomy is associated with a high incidence of CH. Through TSNB, patients could preoperatively experience potential effects, including CH, enabling informed surgical decisions. Patients who developed CH reported high satisfaction levels comparable to those without CH, underscoring the utility of TSNB in improving patient-centered outcomes.

Total-knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with substantial acute postoperative pain. While the adductor canal block (ACB) is widely used to provide motor-sparing anterior knee analgesia, effective management of posterior knee pain remains an important clinical challenge. The infiltration between the popliteal artery and the capsule of the posterior knee (IPACK) block was developed to address posterior capsular pain but may be associated with technical and ergonomic limitations. More recently, the popliteal plexus block (PPB) has emerged as a novel motor-sparing alternative. This narrative review summarizes the anatomical basis, current clinical evidence, and practical considerations of combining the ACB with the PPB, with particular emphasis on its potential role as an alternative to the IPACK block within Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways. Current anatomical and early clinical evidence suggests that the PPB selectively targets the terminal articular branches around the adductor hiatus while preserving the major motor nerve trunks. Available randomized clinical trials indicate that the PPB provides analgesia comparable to IPACK while maintaining motor function, with additional practical advantages including shorter procedural time and, in individual studies, reduced postoperative opioid consumption and postoperative nausea. Overall, the combined ACB and PPB approach appears to be a promising motor-sparing strategy for perioperative analgesia after TKA. However, the current evidence is derived predominantly from cadaveric studies, early-phase randomized trials, and single-center clinical investigations. Therefore, larger multicenter studies with longer follow-ups are needed to establish its long-term efficacy, safety, and role relative to the established IPACK technique.