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 5, 2011

Decreased brain metabolism, rather than an increased intracranial pressure, is the cause of decreased cerebral blood flow after superior cervical sympathetic ganglionectomy

"The reduced brain metabolism and consequently reduced cerebral perfusion in the late 
postsympathectomy period could account for reduction in CSF production (Bering3)."
"In support of the above statement we mention that on the late postsympathectomy (11 to 24 months) group of dogs besides the lowered CBF 
(31.36 ml/100 gm brain weight/minute) and MCP (79.3 mm NS) also a lowered MVP (46.5 mm NS) was found. These data indicate that cervicalsympathectomy has a profound and intricate effect on the dynamics of cerebrovascular fluids and probably, in the background of all observedphenomena, a decreased cerebral metabolism as a sympathectomy effect is the underlying cause. Correspondingly the cerebral metabolic rate ofoxygen (CMR O2) decreased to 2.94 and 2.43 ml of O2/IOO gm brain weight/ minute in the sympathectomized groups." 


"Decreased brain metabolism, rather than an increased intracranial pressure, is the cause of decreased cerebral blood flow after superior cervical sympathetic ganglionectomy."
http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/summary/90/3/418