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, May 25, 2009

40% were disappointed

We detected 8 patients (53%) complaining
about a decent to moderate recurrence of hand sweating and compensatory and gustatory sweating were observed in 9 (60%) and 5 (33%)
patients, respectively. Reported side effects related to surgery were paresthesias of the upper limb and the thoracic wall in 8 patients
(53%) and recurrent pain in the axillary region in one. At an average 12 years after surgery, 47% of patients were satisfied with the
treatment results, 40% were disappointed. Six patients (40%) affirmed they would ask for the operation if it were to be redone. Our
findings indicate that results of ETS deteriorate and compensatory sweating does not improve with time. It is mandatory to inform patients
of the potential long-term adverse effects before surgery.
􏰀 2009 Published by European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.
Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery 8 (2009) 54–57