[boytos]

Recurrent thoracic outlet syndrome

Recurrent symptoms after thoracic outlet operations, either rib resection or scalenectomy, are frequently due to pectoralis minor syndrome. In the past 3 years more than 100 patients have been operated upon for recurrence. Most of these patients received the simple operation of pectoralis minor release. A smaller number of patients required combined thoracic outlet reoperations plus pectoralis minor release. The success rate in both groups of patients has been over 70%.


Is it right ?

[Anne4tos]

I would not call a Pec Minor release a simple surgery. It's still surgery and involves cutting a muscle which is important to your anatomy. Recurrent TOS symptoms can be caused by a number of factors. Some of which are an incorrect diagnosis to begin with as every Doctor has their own diagnostic testing protocal, and also scar tissue from a rib resection and scalenectomy. Nothing is "simple" when it comes to TOS. If it was, we'd all be cured and have outcomes substantially greater than 50/50 for ntos.

[Jomar]

you can do a forum search for other mentions about pec minor release - some of the long time members told of how it went for them.
might need to search back to the 2006/2007 posts

[astern]

Pec minor dis-insertion may be a simple procedure (for the surgeon) in comparison to a rib resection, but for the patient it can take as long to recover from this as it does from the rib resection. Also, consider the permanent limitations from this surgery: lifting anything away from the body is going to re-direct the 'force' of lifting away from the (now disabled) pec-minors and onto the shoulders, elbows... and for me, the index fingers.

Example: lifting a cup of coffee. or pushing a door open. Normally the pec minors do the work of lifting and supporting the weight.

It's been 5 years since my bi-lateral pec-minor dis-insertion procedure. My shoulders can no longer do the work intended for the pec-minors so my index fingers (middle knuckle) has taken up the slack. These joints weren't made for this - and now arthritis? or plain wear and tear? is causing my fingers problems.