Imaging Assessment of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Vascular Surgery
• Neurology

Background:

• Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a complex neurovascular compression disorder.
• Accurate diagnosis of TOS relies heavily on appropriate imaging modalities.
• Understanding the spectrum of imaging findings is crucial for effective patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define thoracic outlet syndrome and discuss its etiology.
• To review the diverse imaging findings associated with TOS.
• To present an optimized imaging technique for TOS assessment.

Main Methods:

• Review of TOS etiology, definition, and imaging findings.
• Description of an optimized computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique.
• Inclusion of representative imaging examples from institutional experience.

Main Results:

• Computed tomography angiography (CTA) and MRI are valuable tools for TOS evaluation.
• Postural maneuvers during MRI enhance the demonstration of TOS abnormalities.
• A combined CTA and MRI approach effectively visualizes TOS-related pathologies.

Conclusions:

• Optimized CT and MRI techniques, incorporating postural maneuvers, are effective for diagnosing TOS.
• The proposed imaging protocol aids in the comprehensive assessment of thoracic outlet syndrome.
• Multimodality imaging provides a robust method for identifying TOS abnormalities.