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

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Bilateral cervical vagotomy

Bilateral cervical vagotomy was followed by prolonged changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration, and a progressive deterioration of cardiac function. This study was based on recordings from 18 unanesthetized, unrestrained, reclining dogs prior to and after gastroenterostomy, arterial catheterization, and bilateral cervical vagotomy. During the first 7 days after denervation, the heart rate was almost doubled and the pulse pressure was decreased. The diastolic pressure was increased only on the first day, whereas on the second day after denervation the systolic pressure became significantly lower. The markedly elevated heart rate was maintained for 3 weeks. There was a complete loss of inspiratory tachycardia for 20 weeks, a prolonged inspiratory period for 2 weeks, and a high incidence of retching and vomiting for over 43 weeks. Although the animals refused to exercise strenuously, they were fully ambulatory and showed normal interest in their surroundings. Death in 13 cases occurred by the second week postvagotomy and was associated with lung congestion or consolidation, and in two cases the liver had a nutmeg appearance.
http://ajplegacy.physiology.org/content/206/2/265.abstract

sympathectomy can result in spinal cord infarction

Uncommon causes include decompression sickness, which has a predilection for spinal ischemic damage; complications of abdominal surgery, particularly sympathectomy;...

http://www.neurology-asia.com/Spinal_Cord_Infarction.php
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)