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, September 7, 2009

Long-term cardiopulmonary function after thoracic sympathectomy

Lung function tests revealed a significant decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity (FEF(25%-75%)) in both groups (FEV(1) of -6.3% and FEF(25%-75%) of -9.1% in the conventional thoracic sympathectomy group and FEV(1) of -3.5% and FEF(25%-75%) of -12.3% in the simplified thoracic sympathectomy group). Dlco and heart rate at rest and maximal values after exercise were also significantly reduced in both groups (Dlco of -4.2%, Dlco corrected by alveolar volume of -6.1%, resting heart rate of -11.8 beats/min, and maximal heart rate of -9.5 beats/min in the conventional thoracic sympathectomy group and Dlco of -3.9%, Dlco corrected by alveolar volume of -5.2%, resting heart rate of -10.7 beats/min, and maximal heart rate of -17.6 beats/min in the simplified thoracic sympathectomy group).
J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2009 Jun 25.