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 14, 2009

sympathectomy can produce capillary abnormalities in the retina similar to those seen in early diabetes

Diabetes can cause damage to sympathetic nerves, and we have previously shown that experimental sympathectomy can produce capillary abnormalities in the retina similar to those seen in early diabetes.
Experimental Eye Research; Jun2009, Vol. 88 Issue 6, p1014-1019, 6p
Steinle, Jena J.1 jsteinl1@utmem.edu
Kern, Timothy S.2
Thomas, Steven A.3
McFadyen-Ketchum, Lisa S.4
Smith, Christopher P.4