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, December 7, 2009

increased blood flow after sympathectomy is due to increased nonnutritive AVA flow

In the acute canine model, increased blood flow after sympathectomy is due to increased nonnutritive arteriovenous anastomoses (AVA) flow, with no change in total hindlimb capillary flow, both at rest and during reactive hyperemia.

Surgery. 1977 Jul;82(1):82-9.