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

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Autonomic neuropathy simulating the effects of sympathectomy

Autonomic neuropathy simulating the effects of sympathectomy as a complication of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes 1955;4:92-97. 112.

Sympathectomy = autonomic neuropathy

A number of papers have been published which
stressed [22-24] the high failure rate of sympathecto-
my operations in diabetics. We believe that the failure
of the operation is due to the fact that diabetic auto-
nomic neuropathy has already sympathectomized the
patient. The results of the present study are compati-
ble with this idea. It is also of interest that the histolog-
ical abnormalities found in the present study are simi-
lar to those described in the bladder [15], in the corpo-
ra cavernosa [16] and in the myocardium [17], all of
which are typical sites of diabetic autonomic neuro-
pathy. Thus, autonomic neuropathy is a very com-
mon feature in diabetes and an important back-
ground to the development of other complications.
For example, although the chronic dryness of the skin
is rarely troublesome for the patient, it may lead to
skin shrinkage and cracking which may, in turn, pre-
dispose to infection.

severe compensatory sweating was experienced in 90% of patients

Postsurgery, severe compensatory sweating was experienced in 90% of patients (P < 0.0001). The sites of compensatory sweating were the back (75%), abdomen (51%), feet (23%), groin and thigh (13%), chest (13%), and axillae (8%). Transient whole-body sweating for no apparent reason was experienced in 30% of patients. Thirty-seven patients (11%) regretted having undergone the surgical procedure.

Main outcome measures included the incidence of dry hands, compensatory sweating, chest pain, upper-limb muscle weakness, shortness of breath, and gustatory phenomena;

Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2000 Aug;10(4):226-9.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10961751