When Raynaud’s is very severe, resulting in intolerable pain and ulcers that don’t respond to medications, your physician may suggest a surgical procedure called a digital sympathectomy. In this procedure, a surgeon cuts the tiny nerves to the arteries of the fingers. The procedure isn’t always effective, and the benefits may not last. However, this “last ditch” approach may preserve the finger or toe from amputation. Some patients report that the procedure reduced their pain, healed their ulcers and/or prevented new ulcers from forming.