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, March 22, 2010

An Ultrastructural Study - effects of Preganglionic Sympathectomy

The ultrastructure of satellite cells of the rat superior cervical ganglion was studied following preganglionic sympathectomy. Several distinct morphological alterations were observed: (a) enlargement of the intercellular space between the ganglion cells and the satellite cells, (b) dilation of the granular endoplasmic reticulum and loss of attached ribosomes, and (c) swelling of the mitochondria with disorganization of the cristae mitochondriales. The presence of degenerating nerve fibers and synaptic boutons was also noted.

Journal of Neural Transmission 38, 43--57 (1976)