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, May 17, 2008

structural damage to the peripheral arteries

Longterm sympathetic denervation has been shown to
cause structural damage to the peripheral arteries.
The effects of long-term sympathectomy include
smooth muscle atrophy in the vessels, leading to
ultimate structural changes in the arterial tree. This in-
crease in blood flow has been implicated as an impor-
tant factor in the development of Charcot joint and
pedal ulceration. Ward et al.16 postulated that, flow in
the small distal vessels is inadequate as a result of
faster flow from ateriovenous shunting. Abnormally
high blood flow, vasodilation, and arteriovenous
shunting that result from sympathetic denervation
lead to abnormal venous pooling.

Richard M. Stess
Marilyn J. Waller