Hi,

No Doctor relying on it, just confirming. The 1st MRI/MRA report Dr. Collins did, showed SC Artery and SC Vien compressed. 1st surgery, 50% partial scalenectomy. 2nd surgery was still incomplete, but I had full scalenectomy, pec release and partial rib resection. My experience with my surgeons were terrible. Now am looking at Dr.Thompson or Dr. Pearl to completely remove my 1st rib and cut out scar tissue.
Hope this helps.

Sorry to hear of your bad experiences. I'm also in California and have been consulting w/ numerous surgeons both in northern and southern CA. I had some specific questions about your surgeries. I sent you a PM...and hope you might have time to respond.

Thanks again for posting.

Dr. Collins seems very knowledgeable but his very expensive MRI is not covered by insurance (due to its unique design, not used nationally). This is why he charges so much money. His MRI results were used by a California attorney to get TOS approved for Social Security (which has only been generally accepted for about 7 years per my understanding (maybe slightly more). In essence, he can track your exact symptoms to the exact compression, if you can find a doctor who relies on his methods. This is very difficult as there seems to be a pissing match between the country's top specialists. Dr. Sanders and Dr. Annest would not use his results, for example. Thus, having the MRI may not help you unless you stay with certain doctors in California. There are a lot of lawsuits for the doctors in California. So, do a background check at the clerks office in each location the surgeon has practiced (sometimes can be done online, sometimes by mail). Don't let someone cut you open until you know if they have killed someone doing this surgery....

Hi -
I have the trifecta from hell of shoulder instability, TOS and RSD. Lucky me, right?

In 2006, I couldn't get any docs to talk to me, let alone do anything. Lengthy internet search turned up Dr. Aaron Filler. He did something called a neurography (which may be the same as those other acronyms MRA...never heard of that). He was able to definitively say I had arterial TOS and 7 entrapped nerves. 9.5 hrs of surgery, including partial removal of middle scalene left me feeling MUCH better. He was very expensive, not fully covered by insurance and had a rotten bedside manner, but a heck of a good surgeon.

(sadly tho, I'm back to where I was in 2006 and again and need to go through the whole doctor shopping thing again)