Abstract
The incidence of arterial compression in patients diagnosed with neurogenic thoracic
outlet syndrome is not accurately known. In a consecutive series of 148 patients diagnosed
with neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, a standard objective method of Doppler ultrasound
examination was implemented, with standard manoeuvres for the arm involved. These
standards for assessing the incidence of true subclavian artery compression were previously
reported. It was found that 75 patients (51%) had definite arterial occlusion. The
potential for even venous compression was examined in this type of patient, and 11
patients (8%) were found to have vascular compression of the subclavian vein when
performing the manoeuvres. The present study is possibly the first to use a standard
objective method to evaluate the vascular component in patients with neurogenic thoracic
outlet syndrome.
