From a website set up by one of the ETS patients

A team of researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) considers sympathectomy to be a neurocardiologic disorder. Led by senior investigator David Goldstein, M.D. Ph.D., they have thusfar studied at least four sympathectomy patients, and have shown that the surgery causes what Goldstein terms "surgically induced autonomic failure".

I participated in the study in November, 2004. For five days I underwent a battery of tests, including PET scans, drug tests, sweat tests, a tilt-table test, EKG, and a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). Conclusions:

1. Partial cardiac denervation as a result of bilateral thoracic sympathectomies.

2. Complete absence of blood vessel constriction in the arms, as expected in thoracic sympathectomy.

3. Complete loss of sympathetic innervation to the thyroid.

4. Abnormal catecholamine levels in the spinal fluid.

Bear in mind that these researchers are only looking at a few of the many aspects of ETS dysfunction.

http://www.truthaboutets.com/Pages/NIH.html