Cell body reorganization in the spinal cord after surgery to trea sweaty palms and blushing

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

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The sympathetic system is responsible for the physiological responses to emotional states

The common epithet of “fight or flight” is being enlarged to be “fight, flight, or fright” or even “fight, flight, fright, or freeze.” Cannon’s original contribution was a catchy phrase to express some of what the nervous system does in response to a threat, but it is incomplete. The sympathetic system is responsible for the physiological responses to emotional states. The name “sympathetic” can be said to mean that (sym- = “together”; -pathos = “pain,” “suffering,” or “emotion”).
http://cnx.org/content/m46582/latest/?collection=col11496/latest

Thursday, February 6, 2014

prolongation of the isometric (tension) period (TP) of the left ventricle occurred in the majority (72 per cent) of all cases after sympathectomy

The prolongation of the isometric (tension) period (TP) of the left ventricle which occurred in the majority (72 per cent) of all cases after unilateral or bilateral transthoracic sympathectomy (without or with unilateral or bilateral transthoracic splanchnicotomy) indicates a diminution of inotropic cardiac action. It can be assumed to correspond to the cholinergic (vagal) preponderance which results from a partial or complete sympathetic denervation of the heart. Reduction of the pulse pressure oc-

curred in 56 per cent of the cases, probably due to the same mechanism.

www.chestjournal.org/content/38/4/423.full.pdfby W RAAB - 1960

Sunday, February 2, 2014

histochemical comparison of the normal and chronically sympathectomized heart

Jones CE, Cannon MS.

Using histochemical techniques, the reactivities of selected enzymes and other metabolic components were examined in the myocardium, coronary arteries, and coronary arterioles of normal, two-week-sympathectomized, and sham-operated canine hearts. There were no differences in the histochemistry of coronary arteries in any of the hearts, but important differences were noted in the myocardium and especially in the arterioles. The reactivities of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and the nucleic acids were increased in arterioles of the sympathectomized heart, possibly indicating an increased protein synthesis. The reactivities of succinate dehydrogenase, NAD-isocitrate dehydrogenase, and cytochrome oxidase were reduced in myocardium and arterioles of sympathectomized hearts as well as in arterioles of sham-operated hearts; the changes were greater in the sympathectomized arterioles where there was also observed an increase in reactivity of lactate dehydrogenase. These findings suggest a depression in aerobic metabolic capacity and, in the case of the sympathectomized arteriole, imply a possible shift in adaptation from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism.
Histochem J. 1980 Jan;12(1):9-22.