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

Thursday, August 16, 2012

69% of patients continued to have relief after ETS, patient satisfaction rate was 56%


There were no operative mortalities, minor complications occurred in 22%. Initial success rate was 88%. Median follow up was 93 (24-168) months, response rate to the questionnaire was 85%. Sixty-nine per cent of patients continued to have relief of initial symptoms, whereas patient satisfaction rate was 56%. CS was present in 42 patients (68%). Long-term satisfaction rates per initial indication group were 42% for facial blushing and 65% for hyperhidrosis (n.s.), and CS was present in 79% vs 61%, respectively.
CONCLUSION:
ETS appears a safe treatment for upper limb hyperhydrosis with acceptable long-term results. For excessive blushing, however, long-term satifaction rates of ETS are severely hampered by a high incidence of disturbing compensatory sweating. ETS should only be indicated in patients with unbearable symptoms refractory to non-surgical treatment. The patient information must include the long-term substantial risk for sever CS and regret of the procedure.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22191130