Quality of Life of People with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome after Surgery

Purpose To evaluate the quality of life of patients with neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (N-TOS) who underwent surgery via the supraclavicular approach. Method Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, and an evaluation of the pain and quality of life of 29 patients was performed. Results The average age of the patients was 42 years, and most of them were female. All of them had one or more associated pathologies. They all worked in occupations that involved repetitive movement of the upper limbs. The evaluation of the degree of pain showed that the pain remains preponderant and incapacitating in the life of these individuals, who consequently enjoy a low quality of life. Conclusion These patients presented low quality of life, with persistent pain probably resulting from the associated pathologies, in addition to their psychosocial context. Thus, in order to treat the TOS, an intervention of a multidisciplinary team with a holistic view of the patient is required. Resumo Objetivo Avaliar a qualidade de vida de pacientes com sindrome do desfiladeiro toracico (SDT) do tipo neurogenico submetidos a cirurgia por via supraclavicular. Metodologia Foram coletados dados sociodemograficos e clinicos, e foram avaliadas a dor e a qualidade de vida de 29 pacientes. Resultados Os pacientes tinham idade media de 42 anos, sendo a maioria do sexo feminino, e todos com uma ou mais patologias associadas. Todas as ocupacoes profissionais exercidas envolviam movimentos repetitivos de membros superiores. A avaliacAo do quadro algico evidenciou que a dor ainda permanece preponderante e incapacitante na vida desses individuos, que, consequentemente, apresentam baixa qualidade de vida. ConclusAo Estes pacientes apresentaram baixa qualidade de vida, com persistencia da dor, provavelmente em decorrencia das patologias associadas, alem do contexto psicossocial. Desse modo, para o tratamento da SDT, faz-se necessaria a intervencAo de uma equipe multidisciplinar com visAo holistica do paciente.