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

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Parallels between patients post-sympathectomy and patients with tetraplegia:

"agr-Adrenoceptor responsiveness in dorsal foot veins is increased in patients with tetraplegia. Hypersensitivity of vascular agr-adrenoceptors may contribute to autonomic dysreflexia in patients with high spinal cord injury."

J. M. O. Arnold1 Contact Information, Q. -P. Feng1, G. A. Delaney2 and R. W. Teasell3

(1) Victoria Hospital, University of Western Ontario, 375 South Street, N6A 4G5 London, Ontario, Canada
(2) Parkwood Hospital, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
(3) University Hospital, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

Received: 5 September 1994 Accepted: 20 July 1995