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

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

redistribution of cerebral bloodflow following sympathectomy!

SM Mueller, DD Heistad and ML Marcus

Effect of sympathetic denervation in dogs.
Total and regional cerebral blood flow during hypotension, hypertension, and hypocapnia.

The major new findings in this study are,
first, that hypotension produces a redistribution of CBF which tends to preserve blood flow to brainstem and to
cerebral gray matter...

1977 American Heart Association


the effect of sympathectomy on ventilation

Influence of cervical sympathetic nerves on ventilation and upper
airway resistance in the rat

K.D. O'Halloran*, A.K. Curran**, A. Bradford+

Influence of cervical sympathetic nerves on ventilation and upper airway resistance in the
rat. K.D. O'Halloran, A.K. Curran, A. Bradford. ©ERS Journals Ltd 1998.
ABSTRACT: The cervical sympathetic trunks innervate the carotid bodies, carotid
baroreceptors, thyroid gland and the upper airway mucosa, structures which can
influence breathing and upper airway resistance. (same in humans)
However, their role in the control of ventilation and upper airway patency
is poorly understood.
A constant airflow was applied to the upper airway through a high-cervical trache-
ostomy in anaesthetized rats breathing spontaneously through a low-cervical trache-
ostomy. The peripheral ends of the cut cervical sympathetic trunks were stimulated
electrically and airflow resistance and ventilation were measured. The effects of cervi-
cal sympathetic trunk section on ventilation were also measured in conscious rats.
In conscious rats, cutting the sympathetic trunks caused a decrease in ventilation
during normoxia but only slightly affected ventilatory responses to hypoxia and
hypercapnia. In anaesthetized rats, sympathetic trunk stimulation caused an inhibi-
tion of breathing which was sometimes followed by excitation. These responses were
unaffected by α- or β-adrenoceptor blockade but were abolished by cutting the
carotid sinus nerves. Sympathetic stimulation also caused a fall in upper airway
resistance which was reduced by bypassing the nose, unaffected by propranolol or
carotid sinus nerve section and abolished by phentolamine.
It was concluded that the cervical sympathetic nerves exert important influences
on ventilation and upper airway resistance.
Eur Respir J 1998; 12: 177–184.

75% PNEUMOTHORAX EXPECTED AFTER SYMPATHECTOMY

A small insignificant pneumothorax can be expected after ETS in about 75% of cases [15], which gets spontaneously absorbed, usually within 24 h.

Comparing T2 and T2–T3 ablation in thoracoscopic sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis: a randomized control trial
A. N. Katara, J. P. Domino, W.-K. Cheah, J. B. So, C. Ning, D. Lomanto
Minimally Invasive Surgical Centre, Department of General Surgery, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119074
Received: 13 October 2006/Accepted: 2 November 2006
http://medicine.nus.edu.sg/medsur/research_publications_2007.html

Permanent side effects included compensatory sweating in 67.4%, gustatory sweating in 50.7% and Horner's trias in 2.5%. However, patient satisfaction declined over time, although only 1.5% recurred. This left only 66.7% satisfied, and a 26.7% partially satisfied. Compensatory and gustatory sweating were the most frequently stated reasons for dissatisfaction. Individuals operated for axillary hyperhidrosis without palmar involvement were significantly less satisfied (33.3% and 46.2%, respectively).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1234291/