Dear Holhar,

Does your little boy have cervical ribs? That situation appears to result in good surgical results. If you would like a second opinion, try Dr. Michele Cerino (a Man), at Harbor Hospital in Baltimore. He is a Thoracic Surgeon, very through, kind and experienced. He should be listed in the physician reference list at the top of this forum.

It never hurts to have a second opinion. I personally know nothing about Dr. Freischlag, other than she is realtively new to the East Coast. Some posters from California seem to have had good experiences with her.

When I was seen at Johns Hopkins, it was by a male neurologist. In his case, I would have chosen Dr. Cerino, hands down, for many reasons. If I were to consider surgery now, I would look at a second opinion from Dr. Freishlag only because a second opinion is really paramount for this type of surgery. Also, there are so few very experienced surgeons in this specialty.

There are several TOS specialists who are in the Baltimore area. TOS really needs a 'team' of physicians in various areas of expertise for the big picture and through diagnosis.

PM me if you have any questions for me. I hope your little boy comes through this healthy, happy, and good as new. It sounds as though he may be having vascular issues if there is urgency here.

This forum is a great place for feedback, as there are so many variations of, and experiences with, TOS.

Warmly,
Anne