• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.412-414
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• 2012

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) due to thoracic trauma is a rare disorder. Surgical treatment of TOS is especially rare. We report here a case of traumatic TOS caused by right 1st rib and clavicular fracture after a traffic accident. The patient underwent first rib resection and open reduction with fixation of the clavicle through axillary and supraclavicular incisions.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.173-182
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• 2014

Objectives : There are few reports on treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome in the field of traditional Korean medicine. The aim of this study is to report a case of a 29-year-old male patient diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, whose symptoms were relieved after 3-week integrated Korean medical treatment. Methods : A patient diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome was admitted into the Korean medicine hospital. The patient had left shoulder pain and left arm numbness. The pain was worse if it had become cold. The patient was treated using Sa-am acupuncture(Daejangseunggyeok), sweet bee venom acupuncture, herbal medicine and other treatment including physical therapy from September 7th to 27th of 2012. Improvement of the patient's symptoms was evaluated by verbal numerical rating scale(VNRS), skin surface temperature difference between the left and right symmetric part of digital infrared thermographic image(DITI). Results : After 3-weeks of treatment, VNRS decreased and skin surface temperature difference between the left and right symmetric part of DITI showed moderate improvement. Conclusions : The results suggest that integrated Korean medical treatment may affect to reduce the symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome. Further study is needed to evaluate the importance of this report.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.5-11
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• 2003

Thoracic outlet syndrome is actually a collection of syndromes brought about by abnormal compression of the neurovascular bundle by bony, ligamentous or muscular obstacles between the cervical spine and the lower border of the axilla. First of all a syndrome is defined as a group of signs and symptoms that collectively characterize or indicate a particular disease or abnormal condition. The neurovascular bundle which can suffer compression consists of the brachial plexus plus the C8 and T1 nerve roots and the subclavian artery and vein. The brachial plexus is the network of motor and sensory nerves which innervate the arm, the hand, and the region of the shoulder girdle. The vascular component of the bundle, the subclavian artery and vein transport blood to and from the arm. the hand. the shoulder girdle and the regions of the neck and head. The bony, ligamentous, and muscular obstacles all define the cervicoaxillary canal or the thoracic outlet and its course from the base of the neck to the axilla or arm pit. Look at the scheme of this region and it all becomes more easily understood. Compression occurs when the size and shape of the thoracic outlet is altered. The outlet can be altered by exercise, trauma, pregnancy, a congenital anomaly, an exostosis, postural weakness or changes. Thoracic outlet syndrome has been described as occurring in a diverse population. It is most often the result of poor or strenuous posture but can also result from trauma or constant muscle tension in the shoulder girdle. The first step to beginning any treatment begins with a trip to the doctor. Make a list of all of the symptoms which seem to be present even if the sensations are vague. Make a note of what activities and positions produce or alleviate the symptoms and the time of day when symptoms are worst. Also, note when the symptoms first appeared. This list is important and should also include any questions one may have.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.563-566
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• 1988

Thoracic outlet syndrome refers to compression of the subclavian vessels and brachial plexus at the superior aperture of the thorax. it was previously designated according to presumable etiologies such as scalenus anticus, costoclavicular, hyperabduction, cervical rib and first thoracic rib syndromes. We experienced a case of thoracic outlet syndrome[costoclavicular syndrome] which was caused by posttraumatic left clavicular fracture. Patient had suffered from swelling and cyanosis of left forearm and hand. preoperative vascular doppler test, angiography and venography were performed. First rib resection was done with transaxillary approach. After operation preoperative cyanosis and swelling of left forearm and hand were disappeared. Postoperative course was uneventful.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.943-951
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• 1999

Thoracic outlet syndrome's chief symptom has numbness and tingling sensation of tharm, hand and fingers. In the morning, patient complain of pins and needles of the hands and weakness. TOS classified three categories : Anterior scalene syndrome, Claviculocostal syndrome, Pectoralis minor syndrome Physical therapy of the TOS is heat, massage for soft tissue, stretching exercise for scalene muscles and pectoralis minor muscles, and strengthening exercise for upper trapezius and levator scapular and neck muscles. A main problem of soft tissue is mechanical causes, so physical therapists have to solve that problem by mechanical manual methods.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1999

Surgical treatment was performed on the 39 cases out of 76 cases of entrapments of the thoracic outlet. The remaining 36 cases of entrapments were treated by conservatively. The operated cases were categorized as follows. They were 34 cases of scalenus anticus syndrome, 1 of cervical rib syndrome, 2 of costoclavicular syndrome, and 2 of hyperabduction syndrome. 1. Scalenus anticus syndrome : Anterior scalenotomy was performed by simple sectioning of the attachment to the first rib. 2. Cervical rib syndrome : Complete decompressive resection of cervical rib sometimes required both anterior and posterior approaches to avoid over-retraction of the brachial plexus. 3. Costoclavicular syndrome : Partial decompressive claviculectomy was undergone instead of conventional total claviculectomy. 4. Hyperabduction syndrome : The resection of coracoid process was performed as well as conventional tenotomy of pectoralis minor muscle to insure free up-and-down moving of neurovascular bundle at the time of hyperabduction. Every diagnostic maneuver was tested at the time of operation to observe whether or not neurovascular decompression including restoration of radial pulse was sufficient. Despite of the postoperative vascular restoration was inmediate, neurogenic symptoms were improved slowly. Because this entity is essentially chronic nerve injnry, its recovery needed a couple of months or several. Although improvement was slow, ultimate results were definite. Complication was not observed.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.28-32
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• 2009

True neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (NTOS) is an extremely rare condition, probably occurring with an incidence of one per million. It is often misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome or benign focal amyotrophy, and careful clinical examination, electrodiagnostic studies, and imaging studies are essential for the correct diagnosis. Here, we report a 23-year-old woman with slowly progressive weakness and atrophy of abductor pollicis brevis who were found to have NTOS caused by cervical rib.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.1497-1501
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• 1992

Acute arterial thromboembolism of the upper extremity associated with the thoracic outlet syndrome differs in many ways from a cardiogenic embolism, particularly in its pathophysiology and management. The neurovascular manifestations have been attributed to a number of separate entities, the main ones being the cervical rib, scalenus anticus, costoclavicular, and hyperabduction syndromes. Recently we experienced a case of acute subclavian artery thromboembolism due to thoracic outlet syndrome and achieved excellent results by surgical treatment. During 3-month follow up periods there was no evidence of recurrence or complications.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.55-58
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• 2017

Standard open procedures for resection of the first rib in thoracic outlet syndrome can prove to be quite difficult with extensive incisions. A minimal invasive procedure can also be painstaking, but provides an attractive alternative to the more radical open procedures. We report the details of the technique with direct video footage of the procedure performed in a 41-year-old man with thoracic outlet syndrome done entirely by thoracoscopic methods.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.43-51
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• 2006

The term thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is used to describe patients with compressed subclavian arteries, veins, and brachial plexuses in the region of the thoracic outlet. The objective of this study was to evaluate a scalenus stretching exercise that aims to restore normal function to patients with TOS. This study consisted of 60 patients with symptoms of TOS, and divided the patients into 3 groups: one that received manual therapy, one that practiced self stretching, and a control group. Each group consisted of 20 patients. This study assessed the efficacy of scalenus stretching exercise by examining the resting pain, tenderness, spherical grip power, and pinch grip power of patients. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, Scheffe post hoc test, and independent t-test. The results showed that resting pain was statistically significant within the manual therapy and self stretching groups (p<.05), and that the resting pain of the manual therapy group was more statistically significant than that of the self stretching group (p<.05). Tenderness, spherical grip power, and pinch grip were statistically significant within the manual therapy and self stretching groups (p<.05), but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p>.05). Finally I could see that there were no statistical differences between manual therapy and self stretching to improve the symptoms of the patients with TOS. These results imply that self stretching by patients is as important as manual therapy by a physical therapist.