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

Friday, May 16, 2008

Sympathectomy in the treatment of Tinnitus

Sympathectomy is an effective treatment of certain forms of of tinnitus, such as that which occurs in Meniere's disease and it has therefore been suggested that the sympathetic nervous system may modulate (increase) the sensitivity of cochlear hair cells.

Aage R. Moller:
Hearing: Anatomy, Physiology, and Disorders of the Auditory System
Academic Press, 2006
ISBN: 0123725194