SIDE EFFECTS AND COMPLICATIONS OF SYMPATHECTOMY FOR HYPERTENSION

THE LITERATURE contains reports of several thousand patients who have undergone various forms of sympathetic denervation for the relief of hypertensive vascular disease. A comparison of the various types of operative procedures employed has been made by us elsewhere.¹ In general, the majority of patients reported on have undergone resection of the sympathetic chain from the ninth thoracic through the second lumbar ganglion combined with bilateral resection of the splanchnic nerves. Although our operations, especially in the more severe cases, have recently tended to be more extensive, we have usually limited our resections to this extent. As our familiarity with this operation has grown, we have become aware of certain problems associated with it, which, while they are not of a magnitude to limit seriously the use of the operation, are of importance if the optimum results are to be obtained and if the procedure is to be kept