Cervical Rib Resection

The first published description of a cervical rib can be found in the texts of Greek anatomist Galen from the second century A.D. Since then, numerous studies have linked the presence of a cervical rib to the neurovascular symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). The purpose of this chapter is to describe the preoperative planning, intraoperative patient positioning, and surgical techniques and complications associated with scalenectomy and first rib and cervical rib resection for TOS from both the supraclavicular approach and the trans-axillary approach.