Neurovascular Compression Syndromes

¹ Indianapolis, Indiana

The results of corrective operative procedures in the group of some 131 patients operated on the basis of arteriographic diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndromes are compared to those in the group of some 50 patients operated on the basis of clinical diagnosis and surgical exploration alone. The rate of failure declined from 44 to 15 per cent. This improvement emphasizes the importance of arteriography in the accurate localization of the obstructing lesion, or lesions, and selection of the appropriate surgical correction. The safety of arteriography is emphasized. Moreover, arteriography is recognized as the only technique able to diagnose the presence of multiple obstructing lesions and to assess the condition in varied positions and with normal tonus of the involved muscle groups. The hemodynamic significance of these lesions can be readily assessed by radioisotope flow studies.