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

Monday, June 30, 2008

Every surgeon decides which complication and side effect to disclose:

ETS Side Effects | Potential Complications

Possible perforation of breast implants if present
Sensitive Pleurae (chest lining sensitivity) limiting exercise
Horners Syndrome occurrence rate 0.3%
Heat intolerance
Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
Bleeding
Postop Neuralgia and parasthesias are uncommon
 Possible hair loss
 Bradycardia (slow heart rate) possibly requiring a pacemaker
Subcutaneous emphysema
Possible conversion to open thoracotomy
Possible recurrence of symptoms
Possible necessity for re-do operations

Gustatory sweating (increased sweating while smelling or eating) occurs in some patients.
http://www.hyperhidrosis-usa.com/SideEffects.html

MIA: DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A DESCRIPTION OF A SAFE PROCEDURE?!
The essential conflict lies in the fact that the surgeons are partly right: the surgery is relatively safe (to perform) and immediate outcome, if only palmar sweating is taken into account - would indicate it as an effective surgery. BUT at what cost?! The success rates decline with time, as sweating seems to return with nerve regeneration (even after cutting), in some cases within 6 months. (This is as long as the Botox treatment would last...without any of the adverse effects of the surgery....) Most importantly these exclamations re safety and effectiveness do not take into account the damage caused by the autonomic dysfunction. As the saying goes: The operation was successful, the patient did not make it...