I would highly second seeing Dr Togut. He was trained as a cardiothoracic surgeon, and developed such a heart for TOS patients that he essentially wrecked his surgical career. Hospital honchos wanted him doing big-bucks heart surgeries on wealthy citizens, the grateful type that are inclined to donate wings of buildings named after them. Dr Togut was spending his time on too many cash-strapped TOSers, and the surgery not only carries risks, a REAL cure, in terms of feeling just like before afterwards, is pretty rare. But Dr T saw there were plenty of Drs fixing hearts, and no one caring for us, and he carried right on doing the right thing as he saw it, God bless him!

The hospital found a bright young cardiologist to do things their way, and revoked Dr T's priveliges to make room for their new boy wonder. Thus, he
no longer practices surgery, but he is in practice seeing ONLY TOS patients, and his knowledge is just phenomenal! He has done over 1000 surgeries in his career, and can explain clearly the anatomy, and usually give a good idea of where your problem is, and what caused it. He spends 1 1/2 -2 hours or more on the initial appt, taking a detailed history, clinical and various testing, then sits down to explain his conclusions with you, and suggestions for treatment. He writes scrips, does triggerpoint injections and gives firm suggestion (read instructions!) for how to better manage your life with TOS.
He is very aware and honest about what a miserable condition TOS is, and the most compassionate Dr I have ever met.

For years he would spend one year a week in Denver working beside and observing Dr David Roos, the surgeon who introduced the modern trans-axillary approach rib resection, in order to try to duplicate the Vascular Institute's excellent post-op follow-up stats. He is also a colleague of Dr Schwartzman, a top neurologist in Philadelphia and Professor at Drexel University College of Medicine. Dr Schwartzman is a leading researcher in treatments for RSD, and the wait list to get into his program is 3 yrs or more. Because I have severe RSD, Dr T referred me to Dr Schwartzman, and that referral got me in to see him in about 3 months.

And even though Dr T did the surgery so long, he doesn't believe surgery is always the answer, or even usually, so he won't push you to have it, he very much believes it's a last resort option and it's your decision to come to.
I see him about once a year - I live in IL or it wd be more often!!

beth