Anatomy of the cervicothoracic sympathetic nerves and its clinical significance

Objective To study the gross and microscopic anatomy of the cervicothoracic sympathetic nervous system and its relative position to the adjacent structures and provide theoretic basis for clinical treatment.Methods Thirty adult cadavers were dissected to detect the position of the cervicothoracic sympathetic nerve and the relationship between it and its surrounding tissues.Results Truncus sympathicus eervicahs had extensive anastomosis with the vertebral artery and brachial plexus.The upper thoracic sympathetic nerves were mostly located at homologue inter-costal level.However,the probability of appearing on the upper border or surface of the rib one level below increased as the segment gradually moves down.Additional communicating branches between cervical sympathetic ganglia and thoracic sympathetic ganglia also existed.Conclusion Sympathectomy can be a treatment to diseases induced by sympathetic nerve hyperexcitability.However it is difficult to determine the range of sympathectomy since compensation and interaction may exist between cervical sympathetic ganglia and thoracic sympathetic ganglia. Key words: Ganglia,sympathetic;  Anatomy,regional;  Sympathectomy