Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct 1;9(10):e1565-e1569.
doi: 10.1016/j.eats.2020.06.020. eCollection 2020 Oct.

Endoscopic Release of the Brachial Plexus

Diogo Bader  1 , Thibault Lafosse  2 , Jose Carlos Garcia Jr  1
Affiliations

Endoscopic Release of the Brachial Plexus

Diogo Bader et al. Arthrosc Tech. .

Abstract

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a debilitating condition, impairing the function of the upper limb, and can be considered an entrapment of neurovascular structures dedicated to the upper limb. Its open treatment uses a large approach, and to date, only the structures under the clavicle have been endoscopically approached. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe an endoscopic brachial plexus decompression at all possible entrapment areas between the neck and the arm.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Fat over brachial plexus (A) and released pectoralis minor tendon (B) with scope through anteroinferior portal. Right side.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Subclavius muscle release (A) and electrocautery device (B) with scope through anteroinferior portal. Right side.
Fig 3
Fig 3
Upper trunk (A) and suprascapular artery (B) with scope through medial portal. Right side.
Fig 4
Fig 4
Suprascapular nerve (A) and upper trunk (B) with scope through medial portal. Right side.
Fig 5
Fig 5
Fibrous adhesion (A) and anterior scalene muscle (B) with scope through supraclavicular portal. Right side.
Fig 6
Fig 6
Scalene muscle (A) and brachial plexus (B) with scope through supraclavicular portal. Right side.
Fig 7
Fig 7
Scalene muscle release (A), subclavian artery (B), and dorsal scapular artery (C) with scope through supraclavicular portal. Right side.
Fig 8
Fig 8
Special portals designed for procedure: anteroinferior (A), medial (B), supraclavicular (C), and cervical (D).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Illig K., Donahue D., Duncan A. Reporting standards of the society for vascular surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. J Vasc Surg. 2016;64:e23–e35. - PubMed
    1. Levine N., Rigby B. Thoracic outlet syndrome: Biomechanical and exercise considerations. Healthcare (Basel) 2018;6:68. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ferrante M., Ferrante N. The thoracic outlet syndromes: Part 1. The arterial, venous, neurovascular, and disputed thoracic outlet syndromes. Muscle Nerve. 2017;55:782–793. - PubMed
    1. Lafosse T., Hanneur M., Lafosse L. All-endoscopic brachial plexus complete neurolysis for idiopathic neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome: Surgical technique. Arthrosc Tech. 2017;6:e967–e971. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kuhn J.E., Lebus G.F.V., Bible J.E. Thoracic outlet syndrome. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2015;23:222–232. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources