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, January 16, 2009

early lymphocytosis was absent in sympathectomized subjects

Peripheral white and red blood cell changes were studied in response to acute insulin-induced hypoglycaemia in six normal, six splenectomized and five sympathectomized (tetraplegic) subjects. The normal subjects were restudied during beta (propranolol) and beta-selective (metroprolol)  adrenergic blockade.

In the normal subjects a lymphocytosis immediately followed the acute hypoglycaemic reaction (R) with a neutrophilia 2 h later. The early lymphocytosis was absent in sympathectomized subjects and reduced under beta blockade in normal subjects, indicating mediation via an adrenergic mechanism. 

Haemoglobyn, packed cell volume and total erythrocyte count rose maximally at R in all groups except the sympathectomized subjects in vhom all parameters declined progressively from basal values. 

Peripheral blood cell changes in response to acute hypoglycaemia in man
European Journal of Clinical Investigation, Volume 13 Issue 1, Pages 33-39, 1982