[A study of autonomic nerve dysfunction in patients with thoracic outlet syndrome]

The function of the autonomic nerve system in sixty-seven patients with thoracic outlet syndrome was examined by a non-invasive and quantitative technique assessing the mean (M) and coefficient of variation (CV) or R-R interval in ECG. The first group of patients (28 cases) with autonomic nervous disorder and complaints of general discomfort showed a significantly shorter M and smaller CV. The second group (39 cases), those without general discomfort, exhibited a normal range of M and CV. In four of the first group with the diagnosis of schizophrenia and anxiety neurosis, furthermore, M and CV were nearly the same as those in the second group. In eight of the first group undergoing decompression operation, their complaints decreased or disappeared after surgery, with recovery of M and CV almost to the normal level. According to these results, this method appears to be useful in differentiating between autonomic nervous disorders and psychological disorders, facilitating disappearance of general discomfort due to autonomic nervous disorders.