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

Friday, June 13, 2008

pneumothorax, leading rapidly to hypotension, electromechanical dissociation and asystole

Small pneumothorax, leading rapidly to hypotension, electromechanical dissociation and asystole during thorascopic sympathectomy. Patient resuscitated successfully.

Adverse events in anaesthetic practice: qualitative study of definition, discussion and reporting
A.F. Smith, D. Goodwin, M. Mort and C. Pope
British Jounal of Anaesthesia 96 (6): 715-21 (2006)