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

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Lactation and sympathectomy

Cannon and Bright (1) concluded that the autonomic nervous system was
essential to lactation, from their work with a sympathectomized dog. They
describe the effect as a belated one which caused the mother to be indifferent
to her young and the gathering of a viscous, creamy material in the glands.

FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE EJECTION OF MILK*
FORDYCE ELY
Kent~wky Agricultural Experiment Station
AND
W. E. PETERSEN
Minnesota Agricultilral Experiment Station