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

Monday, January 11, 2010

effect of electric stimulation of the sympathetic cord in the upper thoracic level on the middle cerebral artery blood flow

Source: CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES Volume: 2 Issue: 6 Pages: 359-364 Published: NOV-DEC
1992
Times Cited: 20 References: 41
Abstract: The effect of electric stimulation of the sympathetic cord in the upper thoracic level on the middle cerebral artery blood flow veloCitY (V(MCA)) in humans was examined using transcranial Doppler sonography monitoring during surgery for palmar hyperhidrosis.
Sympathetic stimulation resulted in marked and rapid increases Of V(MCA). The responses were preceded by prompt increases of mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) and heart rate (HR).
Division of the sympathetic cord cranially or caudally to the stimulation site partially reduced the V(MCA), MABP and HR responses. Both these operations reduced sympathetic pathways to the heart as reflected by a decrease in HR and MABP. The integrity of the sympathetic pathway from the stimulation site through the superior cervical ganglion and the carotid plexus was not a prerequisite for a V(MCA) response. Our data suggest that the V(MCA) increase mainly results from stimulation of the heart and the cardiovascular system, resulting in marked increases of blood
pressure and heart rate.