Evaluation of functions after surgical treatment in patients with arterial thoracic outlet syndrome using QuickDASH

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Quick Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire in patients with arterial thoracic outlet syndrome. METHODS: A total of 106 patients (15 males, 91 females; mean age: 30.7±10.2 years; range, 13 to 60 years) with arterial thoracic outlet syndrome were included in this prospective study between January 2015 and December 2018. The questionnaire was administered to all patients before and six months after surgery. The patients were operated using a transaxillary or supraclavicular approach under general anesthesia. RESULTS: The Cronbach"s alpha value of the questionnaire was found to be 0.85 and the scale consisted of two factors. The change in both the functional status subscale scores (p<0.001) and the physical pain subscale scores (p<0.001) were statistically significantly different before and after surgery. At the end of six months, 53% of the patients with at least one mild difficulty continued to have complaints related to hand, arm and shoulder. CONCLUSION: Based on our study results, this questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for measuring and monitoring disease symptoms in patients with arterial thoracic outlet syndrome.