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

Saturday, July 30, 2011

endoscopic sympathicotomy in carotid and vertebral arteries in the surgical treatment of primary hyperhidrosis

Analyze, in patients with primary hyperhidrosis (PH) who was undergone to videothoracoscopic sympathicotomy, the degree of vascular denervation after surgical transection of the thoracic sympathetic chain by measuring ultrasonografic parameters in carotid and vertebral arteries.

METHODS:

Twenty-four patients with PH underwent forty-eight endoscopic thoracic sympathicotomy and were evaluated by duplex eco-Doppler measuring systolic peak velocity (SPV), diastolic peak velocity (DPV), pulsatility index (PI) and resistivity index (RI) in bilateral common, internal and external carotids, besides bilateral vertebral arteries. The exams were performed before operations and a month later. Wilcoxon test was used to analyse the differences between the variables before and after the sympatholisis.

RESULTS:

T3 sympathicotomy segment was the most frequent transection done (95.83%), as only ablation (25%) or in association with T4 (62.50%) or with T2 (8.33%). It was observed increase in RI and PI of the common carotid artery (p < 0.05). The DPV of internal carotid artery decreased in both sides (p < 0.05). The SPV and the DPV of the right and left vertebral arteries also increased (p < 0.05). Asymmetric findings were observed so that, arteries of the right side were the most frequently affected.

CONCLUSIONS:

Hemodynamic changes in vertebral and carotid arteries were observed after sympathicotomy for PH. SPV was the most often altered parameter, mostly in the right side arteries, meaning significant asymmetric changes in carotid and vertebral vessels. Therefore, the research findings deserve further investigations to observe if they have clinical inferences.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16186983

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

sweating from these areas could be under cortical control, separate from the hypothalamic centers involved in thermoregulation


Compensatory hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating of the abdomen, chest, back, thighs, and face,[6,72] usually in response to increased temperature.[46] This is the most common complication following ETS, reported to occur at an average rate of about 60%, with a range of 3% to 98%.[46] Higher rates have been reported from countries with warmer climates, such as in Asia and the Middle East.[46,82] The sweating can be severe for 10% to 40% of patients.[10] Although it has been written that compensatory sweating diminishes with time, several series have documented continued symptoms with longer-term follow-up.[46] In one series of 270 patients followed for a mean of 15 years postsympathectomy, 67% still complained of compensatory sweating, and overall satisfaction fell from an initial level of 96% to 67%.[55] It is possible that patients begin to notice compensatory sweating some time after ETS, as they are initially more aware of the marked reduction of their primary hyperhidrosis.[46]

The mechanism for compensatory sweating is unclear; the most likely explanation is that sweating in the trunk increases to compensate for the lack of sweating from the denervated areas in order to maintain thermoregulation.[82] The occurrence of decreased sweating in other areas not innervated by the ganglia treated by ETS suggests that the response to ETS is more complex. The soles are the most common area with decreased sweating post-ETS, and, along with the axillae and palms, sweating from these areas could be under cortical control, separate from the hypothalamic centers involved in thermoregulation.[72] It has also been proposed that ganglion destruction affects axons of neurons in the interomediolateral spinal cord, which could lead to cell death or re-organization, changing the control of the sympathetic system by the spinal cord and higher, leading to increased sympathetic tone in the other body areas not treated by ETS.[10
http://www.sweathelp.org/English/HCP_Treatment_ETS_Surgery_Complications.asp?printfriendly=true

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Sympathectomy - a surgically induced neuropathy

"Vascular and neural diseases are closely related and intertwined. Blood vessels depend on normal nerve function, and nerves depend on adequate blood flow. The first pathological change in the microvasculature is vasoconstriction. As the disease progresses, neuronal dysfunction correlates closely with the development of vascular abnormalities, such as capillary basement membrane thickening and endothelial hyperplasia, which contribute to diminished oxygen tension and hypoxia."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_neuropathy

Sympathectomy results in vascular abnormalities, loss of vasoconstriction, capillary basement thickening and endothelial hyperplasia...

oedema associated with the interruption of preganglionic sympathetic tract


Swelling and oedema is often observed in patients with Raynaud's disease or causalgia after acute interruption of post-ganglionic sympathetic fibres such as a wide-spread sympathectomy. Complete sympathetic 
block dilates vein and capillary and increases peripheral pooling, which raises hydrostatic the shins and feet (fig 2), constipation and 
abdominal distention, and dysuria were observed. Oedema was not noted in the 
hands or face. 
 There were no signs or abnormal laboratory data suggesting heart failure, renal failure, liver dysfunction, thyroid dysfunction or local inflammation. Venography of the left leg did not show obstruction in the deep veins. 

 We showed that the preganglionic sympathetic tract in the spinal cord was often 
disturbed in patients with multiple sclerosis with myelopathy.' Most patients with com- 
plete transection of the spinal cord due to injury showed swelling of the lower limbs or 
oedema, but they gradually subsided within several months even without restoration of 
somatic function. Probably some compensatory mechanism improves the hydrostatic 
condition in the chronic stage and explains why oedema is not noted in patients with 
chronic autonomic failure syndrome.