View clinical trials related to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
Filter by:The purpose of the study is to develop a protocol to assess blood flow in the upper limb vasculature before and after osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) using Pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasonography (US). We will assess the subclavian artery and vein at two locations (above and below the clavicle) and the brachial artery and vein (within the axilla) to determine the reproducibility of the blood flow findings at each location and the impact of OMT on the blood flow. Additionally we will qualitatively assess morphological changes of the brachial plexus before and after OMT with US.
The Thoraco-Brachial Outlet Syndrome (T-BOS) corresponds to the entirety of clinical manifestations related to the compression of the branches of the brachial plexus and/or the subclavian vessels during their passage through the cervico-thoracic region. Following surgery, a recurrence of symptoms occurs in 5% to 30% of operated patients. The treatment of these recurrences primarily relies on conservative therapies, and in case of failure, surgical intervention, particularly neurolysis of the brachial plexus. In order to prevent a new recurrence, it is desirable to cover the neurolyzed brachial plexus with a flap, providing better local vascularization. However, fatty perforating flaps, by avoiding muscle harvesting, reduce donor site sequelae. We aim to investigate, through validated and recommended questionnaires, the impact of covering the neurolyzed brachial plexus with a free fatty flap after neurolysis in the context of recurrent neurological Thoraco-Brachial Outlet Syndrome.
Whiplash injuries following car accident are common, it has been reported to affect 83% of individuals injured in traffic collisions (Yadla S, 2007). The condition is caused by a rapid acceleration followed immediately by a rapid deceleration of the neck and head. The annual North American incidence rate is estimated to be 600 per 100,000 people (Holm LW, 2008). The condition is costly for society and disabling/painful for the patients. Depending on the collision type, the biomechanics of muscles will be affected differently and consequently the clinical presentation will vary. T-bone type of car collisions (when the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another) may induce thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) following compression on the nerve and artery bundle by the scalene muscles (lateral stabilizers of the neck). An appropriate and detailed examination of the patient is necessary to identify the cause of the resulting pain and disability. Once a functional thoracic outlet syndrome is identified the proposal is to treat this with botulinum toxin.
Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) denotes the collection of symptoms which may arise from compression of the neurovascular structures in the region of the brachial plexus. TOS has historically been a clinical enigma, with lack of consensus regarding its diagnosis limiting the validity of any research into it. Literature and local audit both note significant patient morbidity and redundant use of secondary care clinics and investigations in sufferers. The last decade has seen the creation of a consortium of leaders in the field and development of the CORE-TOS diagnostic tool. This tool has 5 subsets of clinical diagnostic criteria (CDC). Positivity in 4 or more suggests a diagnosis of TOS. The current study seeks to specifically examine whether physiotherapy clinicians - both in primary and secondary care - can consistently identify cases of TOS using the CORE-TOS tool and refer them appropriately to an extended scope physiotherapist (ESP) specialising in the condition. Specific education will be provided to relevant physiotherapists who will be asked to note all relevant CDC in any suspected cases thereafter referred to the ESP in an out-patient physiotherapy department setting. These referrals will follow the standard local pathway to physiotherapy and no clinical testing manoeuvres out with the current scope of physiotherapy will be applied. The patients' case notes will thereafter be retrospectively examined, and the inter-rater reliability of the CDC recorded by the both the referring physiotherapist on their referral and the researcher at initial review. This will analysed using intraclass correlation coefficient, SEM and Bland and Altman's agreement tests, coupled with descriptive analysis.
Botulinum toxin type A injected into the anterior and middle scalene muscles will reduce the irritation on the neurovascular structures at the interscalene triangle in subjects with TOS. This will lead to reductions in pain and paresthesias, and improvements in function when compared with injection of placebo.