Results. Sympathetic blocks and sympathectomies may provide
significant relief in 60% of patients who undergo them (19-23). The
mechanism on which this relief is based is open to question. There may
be a significant placebo effect influencing the response to sympathetic
blocks (18, 19). Mean time to pain recurrence following
sympathectomy is six months (23).
http://www.hiesiger.com/physicians/physicianrfl.html
"Sympathectomy is a technique about which we have limited knowledge, applied to disorders about which we have little understanding." Associate Professor Robert Boas, Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australasian College of Anaesthetists and the Royal College of Anaesthetists, The Journal of Pain, Vol 1, No 4 (Winter), 2000: pp 258-260
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Long-term superior cervical sympathectomy induces
Long-term superior cervical sympathectomy induces mast cell hyperplasia and increases histamine and serotonin content in the rat dura mater
These results clearly demonstrate, for the first time, a long-term trophic effect of sympathetic nerve degeneration on mast cells in the dura mater. Since mast cell activation has been described previously on the painful side of cluster headache patients during attack periods, we propose that the sympathetic impairment reported in these patients could be prominent, directly or indirectly inducing mast cell hyperplasia and changes in amine contents in the tissue concerned.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T0F-3YKKDB8-T&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=1de581b2e86912852d82e7f89ca95aea
These results clearly demonstrate, for the first time, a long-term trophic effect of sympathetic nerve degeneration on mast cells in the dura mater. Since mast cell activation has been described previously on the painful side of cluster headache patients during attack periods, we propose that the sympathetic impairment reported in these patients could be prominent, directly or indirectly inducing mast cell hyperplasia and changes in amine contents in the tissue concerned.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T0F-3YKKDB8-T&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=1de581b2e86912852d82e7f89ca95aea