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

Thursday, September 11, 2008

New Name for CS: Abnormal Sweating

What are the risks of a sympathectomy?

* Risks from anaesthesia
* Bleeding
* Infection
* Worsening of pain
* Creation of a new pain syndrome
* Abnormal sweating

1. Mailis-Gagnon A, Furlan A. Sympathectomy for neuropathic pain. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2002, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD002918. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002918.