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

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

sympathectomy syndrome:

A traumatic sympathectomy occurs below the level of the spinal cord lesion with the risk of hypotension secondary to arteriolar and venular vasodilation. Injuries at or above T6 are particularly associated with hypotension, as the sympathetic outflow to splanchnic vascular beds is lost. Bradycardia will occur if the lesion is higher that the sympathetic cardioaccelerator fibers (T1-T4), with the parasympathetic cranial outflow being preserved. A complete cervical cord injury produces a total sympahtectomy and therefore hypotesion will be more marked.

Injuries to the sympathetic chain may result in retrograde ejaculation (in males) or a sympathectomy syndrome with disturbed capability for vasoconstriction. This may result in the feeling of a hot (ipsilateral) or cold (contralateral) leg or foot, respectively. (p. 358)

Spinal disorders: fundamentals of diagnosis and treatment

By Norbert Boos, Max Aebi
Springer 2008