Thoracic outlet syndrome symtoms can be complicated however typical symptoms include pain,numbness,weakness or discomfort in the shoulder/arms. These symptoms often occur during some kind of physical activity e.g drying your hair with a hair dryer or painting a ceiling.
The thoracic outlet ultrasound scan will involve checking both the artery and vein in the shoulder region particularly the area adjacent to the clavicle. We use b-mode, colour and pulsed wave doppler to investigate the changes in blood flow at the clavicle region when the arm is moved into our standard positions. This includes the arm abducted to 90 degrees, a stop position, salute and 180 degree abduction. If you feel that there are particular positions that reproduce your symtoms please let the sonographer know and they will try to image the blood flow in these positions. Please be aware though that it isnt possible to scan the shoulder region in all positions that cause the symptoms but the sonographer will try to accomodate them where possible.
Arrive 5 minutes before your appointment time to allow any paperwork to be completed. Please use the toilet in this time prior to your scan. Once you have been called into the ultrasound room you will need to remove some clothing. The sonographer will let you know exactly what you need to remove depending on the location of your fistula. If your fistula is in the upper arm (at the elbow level) you will likely need to take off any clothes that cover your arms/shoulder area. If you are wearing a singlet you may be able to leave this on. Leave your bra on if you are wearing one although the sonographer may need to move the strap slightly whilst scanning across the shoulder area. Once you are ready the sonographer will instruct you to sit on the side of the bed with your arms resting on a pillow in front of you. The gel will be cold and the ultrasound probe will be pressed gently across your neck, shoulder and upper arm. They will access the arteries and veins with you seated at rest before progressing to the arm manouvres. If you are unable to perform any of the arm positions don’t worry just let the sonographer know.
The sonographer will check through the images and produce a worksheet with the relevant information which is then rechecked by the vascular surgeon. If you are seeing one of our specialists on the same day as the scan then they will be able to give the result immediately. Otherwise your report will be sent back to the referrer within a day or two. You can contact the referer to arrange a time to discuss the results. If the sonographer identifies any urgent problems then they will discuss it with our vascular specialists and your referrer immediately and let you know if you need to do anything further.
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