Neurovascular compression in the thoracic outlet produces great variation of signs and symptoms. The clinical picture is often complex, being made up of the derangement of blood vessels, somatic nerves and autonomic nervous networks in varying degrees. Thirty-eight of the 150 patients (25%) treated in our clinic because of possible thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), complained of general malaise such as headache, dizziness, sleeplessness, nausea, anorexia or general fatigue, in addition to their peculiar signs and symptoms due to brachial plexus involvement.
In order to find out whether or not autonomic nerve dysfunction can be demonstrated in patients with TOS, a non-invasive and quantitative technique was developed for assessing the mean (M) and coefficient of variations (CV) of R-R intervals in ECG at resting position. Thirty patients (13-39; mean 29.5 y/o) were put into two groups of 15 patient s each. In the first group patients with autonomic nerve disorder had complaints of general discomfort, M was 803.72 ± 106.9 msec and CV was 3.214±0.717%. In the second group, those without general discomfort, M was 972.21 ± 120.64 msec and CV was 5.926±0.720%. The first group had a significantly shorter M (P < 0.001) and smaller CV (P < 0.001) compared to the second group. Furthermore, in two cases in the first group diagnosed by psychologists as having schizophrenia and anxiety neurosis, it was found that their M and CV were the nearly same as those in the second group.
Decompressive ope r a tions were performed on five patients in the first group. Their complaints decreased or vanished after the operation and the M and CV progressed to near the normal rate.
From these results, we belive that this method in useful in differentiating between autonomic nervous disorders and psychological disorders; and that in patients with TOS, a decompressive operation can help eliminate complaints of general discomfort due to autonomic nervous disorders.
