Double Crush Syndrome Related to the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Abstract

Cases diagnosed as having thoracic outlet syndrome were examined by neurological examination, including provocation tests, electromyography and radiological examinations, to detect other sites of entrapment neuropathy of the upper extremity. During the last four years, 555 upper extremities of 494 patients were diagnosed as having thoracic outlet syndrome. Forty-five patients (9.3%) were diagnosed as having other entrapment neuropathy in one extremity. Ten cases were complicated by cervical radiculopathy, 15 by carpal tunnel syndrome, 11 by cubital tunnel syndrome, five by radial tunnel syndrome, two by ulnar tunnel syndrome, two by both carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndrome, and one by both cubital and ulnar tunnel syndrome. Surgery was performed for 15 limbs, and the distal lesion was operated on the first in two-thirds of these patients. The relationship between thoracic outlet syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome has been reported by several authors, but the rates of incidence vary among reports. The rate of incidence seems to depend upon the diagnostic technique. After adoption of the appropriate provocation tests, patients with thoracic outlet syndrome complicated by other entrapment neuropathies were detected at a relatively high rate of incidence. Provocation tests seem to be an essential measure for the diagnosis of double crush syndromes.