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

Spinal cord infarction occurring during thoraco-lumbar sympathectomy
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1963;26:418-421 doi:10.1136/jnnp.26.5.418

Friday, April 20, 2012

the surgical 'cure' for hyperhidrosis can make he condition worse

First, we object to the classification of excessive sweating and facial blushing as diseases. While it is true that these conditions can be very embarrassing, causing the afflicted to dislike or avoid social situations, and this can indeed have a negative impact on the quality of life, from a physiological point of view they are entirely harmless. We believe that the recent “official” classification of these conditions as diseases is borne not of medical accuracy, but rather out of a desire to legitimize and justify the surgery in the eyes of both prospective patients and their insurance carriers.

Second, and more importantly, we object to the procedure itself. Interrupting the sympathetic chain in the thoracic region (by whatever means) is proven to cause a litany of permanent physical and mental disabilities, including anhidrosis, lowered heart function, lowered mental function, diminished lung volume, loss of baroreflex, paralyzed blood vessels, dysfunctional thermoregulation, chronic pain, paresthesia, lowered alertness, decreased exercise capacity, lowered response to fear, thrills, and other strong emotions. Thousands of unsuspecting patients are having psychiatric surgery without consent, forever robbed of their strongest feelings.

And, infamously, ETS surgery can cause uncontrollable, clothes-drenching sweating from the nipple-line down. In other words, the “cure” for hyperhidrosis can actually cause WORSE hyperhidrosis. Some cure.
http://forums.randi.org/archive/index.php/t-77170.html

Sunday, April 15, 2012

pathological pain, such as occurs in response to peripheral nerve injury

It is recently become clear that activated immune cells and immune-like glial cells can dramatically alter neuronal function. By increasing neuronal excitability, these non-neuronal cells are now implicated in the creation and maintenance of pathological pain, such as occurs in response to peripheral nerve injury. Such effects are exerted at multiple sites along the pain pathway, including at peripheral nerves, dorsal root ganglia, and spinal cord. In addition, activated glial cells are now recognized as disrupting the pain suppressive effects of opioid drugs and contributing to opioid tolerance and opioid dependence/withdrawal. While this review focuses on regulation of pain and opioid actions, such immune-neuronal interactions are broad in their implications. Such changes in neuronal function would be expected to occur wherever immune-derived substances come in close contact with neurons.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17706291