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, January 15, 2008

HEAT STROKE AFTER SYMPATHECTOMY


Ann Thorac Surg. 2007 Sep ;84 (3):1025-7 17720429
Is previous thoracic sympathectomy a risk factor for exertional heat stroke?
Alan D L Sihoe , Raymond W T Liu , Alex K L Lee , Chak-Wah Lam , Lik-Cheung Cheng
We report the case of a physically fit young man who presented with severe, life-threatening heat
stroke after running a 10 km road race. He had previously received bilateral thoracic
sympathectomy for axillary hyperhidrosis at another hospital, and was known to have upper body
and limb anhidrosis. 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.