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

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

disturbed peripheral vascular and heart rate responses

Thoracic sympathectomy can result in reduced sweating and disturbed peripheral vascular and heart rate responses. Patients should be warned that these mechanisms may play a role in the development of exertional heat stroke.

Is Previous Thoracic Sympathectomy a Risk Factor for Exertional Heat Stroke?

Alan D.L. Sihoe, FRCSEd(CTh)a,*, Raymond W.T. Liu, MRCPb, Alex K.L. Lee, MRCPb, Chak-Wah Lam, FHKAMb, Lik-Cheung Cheng, FRCS