ReviewCureus2026
Evidence-Based Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: A Systematic Review.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture Combined with Traditional Chinese External Therapy for the Treatment of Scalenus Anticus Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a condition caused by the compression of neurovascular structures within the thoracic outlet. The primary objective of this systematic review is to evaluate evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic methods for TOS, with a specific focus on physiotherapy-based interventions. Secondly, this study aims to synthesize recent academic findings to provide medical professionals with a contemporary perspective on effective treatment protocols and to highlight gaps in the existing literature warranting further research. Following the PRISMA framework, a digital search of major platforms, including PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar, was conducted for literature published up to April 2026. Ten articles met the inclusion criteria, which focused on neurogenic, arterial, and venous subtypes and prioritized physiotherapy-based interventions. Methodological quality was assessed using validated tools such as QUADAS-2, AXIS, and ROBINS-1. The results demonstrate that structured physiotherapy, including postural correction, stretching of the scalenes and pectoralis minor, scapular stabilization, and neural mobilization, is highly effective as a primary conservative treatment for reducing pain and improving upper limb function. Intensive inpatient rehabilitation programs also showed significant, sustained improvements in strength and functional capacity. Additionally, the review highlights that persistent symptoms are often influenced by psychosocial factors such as central sensitization and kinesiophobia, necessitating a multidisciplinary, biopsychosocial approach to management. Despite these findings, the review identifies a significant lack of standardized diagnostic and therapeutic protocols. The study concludes that early identification and the integration of pain neuroscience education into standardized rehabilitation protocols are essential for optimizing patient outcomes and preventing symptom recurrence.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.