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

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

36% intense 'compensatory sweating'

The results and complication rates have not necessarily been similar in reports worldwide. This can be explained in part due to the lack of clear-cut definitions for the indications, success, complications, side effects, and short- and long-term follow-up data of the procedures. It is well known that sympathectomy is often complicated by CH; the reported incidence rates vary greatly from 30% to 84% [15]. In our series it has been noted in 62.5% of the patients (26.5% moderate and 36% intense).

Although VATS sympathectomy is a simple and quick procedure, unusual complications such as chylothorax may occur [16]. However, lethal or potentially serious complications have also been reported [8, 17, 18], such as subclavian artery injury, damage to brachial plexus, large hemothorax, cerebral edema, neurologic sequelae, sinus bradycardia, and cardiac arrest.
Ann Thorac Surg 2003;76:886-891