A 60-year-old man is unable to walk more than 100 yards without experiencing severe pain in his left leg; the pain is relieved by resting for 5-10 minutes. He is told that the arteries of his leg are becoming occluded with fatty material and is advised to have the sympathetic nerves serving that body region severed. Explain how such surgery might help to relieve this man's problem.
Cutting the nerves will open up the blood flow to the arteries. Since the sympathetic nerves will be severed, it will result in reduced vasoconstriction and vasodilation will occur.
