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

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Severe systemic hypotension and bradycardia have been observed during carbon dioxide insufflation in some patients undergoing sympathectomy

Anesthetic considerations for thoracic and thoracoscopic neurosurgical procedures are considered, emphasizing the need to provide anesthetic stability during prolonged periods of one-lung ventilation, while optimizing conditions for intraoperative monitoring of spinal cord integrity.
Severe systemic hypotension and bradycardia have been observed during carbon dioxide insufflation in some patients undergoing sympathectomy.

Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology. 13(1):65-69, February 2000.
Adams, David C.; Eisenkraft, James B.