The amount of compensatory sweating depends on the patient, the damage that the white rami communicans incurs, and the amount of cell body reorganization in the spinal cord after surgery.
Other potential complications include inadequate resection of the ganglia, gustatory sweating, pneumothorax, cardiac dysfunction, post-operative pain, and finally Horner’s syndrome secondary to resection of the stellate ganglion.
www.ubcmj.com/pdf/ubcmj_2_1_2010_24-29.pdf

After severing the cervical sympathetic trunk, the cells of the cervical sympathetic ganglion undergo transneuronic degeneration
After severing the sympathetic trunk, the cells of its origin undergo complete disintegration within a year.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0442.1967.tb00255.x/abstract

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Gustatory facial sweating subsequent to upper thoracic sympathectomy

MDShanker Nesathurai, MDDavid T. Harvey, and MDStanley W. Schatz

aDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, McMaster University, Canada

bMcMaster University Clinic, Hamilton Civic Hospitals, Henderson General Division, Canada

cDepartment of Neurosurgery, McMaster University Clinic-Hamilton General Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada


Received 3 February 1994;
accepted 8 July 1994

Gustatory facial sweating has been described as a consequence of upper thoracic sympathectomy. Patients may also develop compensatory hyperhidrosis, sensory deficits, nipple hypersensitivity, and Horner's syndrome. In this article, we have reviewed three patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy who developed gustatory facial sweating subsequent to endoscopic T2 and T3 ganglionectomy. This article also discusses the possible mechanisms of gustatory facial sweating.

keyterms: dysesthetic pain, vasomotor instability, hyperhidrosis, denervation supersensitivity.