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

Thursday, August 11, 2011

lumbar sympathectomy results in loss of ejaculation

Sympathectomy for the long term management of such patients has been carried out (Abel et al., 1974) and success reported. Loss of ejaculation does follow sympathectomy but his is a minor problem in patients who have an already destroyed sacral cord. (p. 410)

During fever pyrogen is released from leucocytes and his agent causes the disturbed thermoregulation (Atkinson, 1960). For his response to occur, an intact efferent sympathetic system is requred because fever can be markedly reduced by bilateral sympathectomy in he cat (Pinkston, 1935). (p.193)
The autonomic nervous system: an introduction to basic and clinical concepts By Otto Appenzeller, Emilio Oribe, Elsevier Health Sciences, 1997 - Medical