Ok, how do you mistake hand swelling with thoracic outlet? Is it something with blood not returning from the hand after exertion? That seems more vein than artery
There are three kinds of TOS - neurogenic (nerve is squeezed as it passes through the thoracic outlet in the shoulder), venous (vein is squeezed), and arterial (artery is squeezed). The most common by far is neurogenic. The other two types are much more rare and are often misdiagnosed.
Unfortunately, I know all this because several years ago, Mr wj73 woke up one morning with a swollen arm that was cold and blue. He was diagnosed as having a blood clot in the vein, and was put on warfarin, which is not pleasant. But, the issue never really resolved and the arm continued to be swollen. After several weeks of ineffective care, he got a second opinion at Hopkins and was properly dx’d with venous TOS. He had surgery at Hopkins to remove the top rib on that side to give more space in the thoracic outlet, and has been fine since. From what I’ve been able to glean, Harris had venous TOS.
