Thoracic outlet syndrome: pattern of clinical success after operative decompression.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the pattern of clinical results in patients with neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (N-TOS) after operative decompression and longitudinal follow-up.

METHODS

From May 1994 to December 2002, 254 operative sides in 185 patients with N-TOS were treated by the same operative protocol: (1) transaxillary first rib resection and the lower part of scalenectomy for the primary procedure with or without (2) the subsequent upper part of scalenectomy with supraclavicular approach for patients with persistent or recurrent symptoms. This retrospective cohort study included 38 men and 147 women with an age range of 19 to 80 years (mean, 40 years). Evaluated were primary success, defined as uninterrupted success with no procedure performed, and secondary success, defined as success maintained by the secondary operation after the primary failure. Success was defined as > or =50% symptomatic improvement judged by the patient using a 10-point scale, returning to preoperational work status, or both.

RESULTS

Follow-up was 2 to 76 months (mean, 25 months). Eighty sides underwent a secondary operation for the primary clinical failure. No technical failures and no deaths occurred < o =30 days after the operations. The complication rate was 4% (13/334) and consisted of 7 pneumothoraxes, 3 subclavian vein injuries, 1 nerve injury, 1 internal mammary artery injury, and 1 suture granuloma. Of 254 operative sides, the primary and secondary success was 46% (118/254) and 64% (163/254). Most the primary failures (90%, 122/136) and the secondary failures (66%, 23/35) occurred < or =18 months after the respective operation.

CONCLUSIONS

The long-term results of operations for TOS in this study were much worse than those initially achieved, and most of the primary and secondary failures occurred < or =12 months of the respective operations. A minimum of 18-month follow-up on patients and standardized definition of the outcomes are necessary to determine the true effectiveness and outcome of operative treatment of N-TOS.