17 years' experience of surgical management of thoracic outlet syndrome at a district general hospital.

INTRODUCTION

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is caused by compression of the neurovascular structures passing through the thoracic inlet. It is categorised into three subtypes: neurogenic TOS (NTOS), venous TOS (VTOS) and arterial TOS (ATOS). This study evaluates the outcomes of patients who underwent first rib resection (FRR) for TOS during a period of 17 years at a single district general hospital.

METHODS

Retrospective review of patient notes of individuals treated with FRR from August 2004 to August 2021.

RESULTS

A total of 62 FRRs were performed on 51 individual patients. Indications for FRR included 42 NTOS (68%), 6 VTOS (10%) and 14 ATOS (23%). Thirty-four patients (64%) were female and the mean age at time of surgery was 39 years (range 27 to 64 years). Eleven patients (21%) underwent bilateral FRR and seven cases of cervical ribs were observed. The mean time from initial symptoms to diagnosis was 18 months (range 2 to 60 months). Overall, outcomes after surgery were positive across all subtypes of TOS. Based on Derkash's classification, 52 patients (84%) reported excellent/good, 8 (13%) reported fair and 2 (3%) reported poor resolution of symptoms at 6 month follow-up. Complications included four (9%) pneumothorax, two (4%) wound infections, two (4%) haematoma, one (2%) haemothorax, three (5%) phrenic nerve complications and one (2%) brachial neuropraxia.

CONCLUSIONS

FRR for TOS can be performed safely and effectively in a district general hospital environment with excellent patient clinical outcomes.