Cutaneous Areas Denervated by Upper Thoracic and Stellate Ganglionectomies Determined by the Electrical Skin Resistance Method

Abstract

25 patients with a total of 5 types of upper thoracic (T1-T4) sympathectomies, and 6 patients with stellate ganglionectomies were examined by the method after a total of 51 operations. Results were compared with those indicated by the Minor starch-iodine test in over 1/4 of the cases. Only records obtained during the patient''s stay in the hospital (usually 12 postoperative days) are reported; those collected over longer postoperative periods will be used in a report on regeneration. Only one thoracic sympathectomy failed to denervate the skin of the hand; only one stellate removal succeeded in doing so, although two others produced partial denervation. The ganglion at T2 seems to be more closely associated with innervation of the skin of the hand than are the other levels. The effects of stellate removal are more variable than those of upper thoracic operations. A small number of patients showed temporarily low rather than the expected high electrical skin resistance over areas later found to be denervated.