Thoracic outlet syndrome refers to a group of symptoms that occur when the blood vessels or nerves in the thoracic outlet, the area located between the collarbone and first rib, become compressed resulting in either shoulder or neck pain or numbness in the fingers.
Thoracic outlet syndrome is commonly attributed to physical trauma from a car accident and repetitive injuries from on-the-job or sports-related activities.
Surgery is used to correct the cause of the compression associated with thoracic outlet syndrome. A rib resection can relieve compression caused by the first rib or other structures. The da Vinci robot has been used in a minimally invasive robotic thoracoscopic approach for complete resection of the first rib. This option provides lower likelihood of neurovascular complications compared to other techniques.