Definition

Noun: - A medical condition characterized by discomfort, vascular symptoms, and sensory loss in the shoulder and arm, caused by compression of the subclavian artery and parts of the brachial plexus nerve network by a scalene muscle in the neck.

Usage

• Scalenus syndrome is a specific type of thoracic outlet syndrome.
• Diagnosis of scalenus syndrome often involves physical tests and imaging to confirm nerve and blood vessel compression.
• Treatment for scalenus syndrome may include physical therapy, medication, or in severe cases, surgery to relieve the compression.

Examples

• The patient's numbness and tingling in the fingers were finally attributed to scalenus syndrome.
• Repetitive overhead activities can sometimes contribute to the development of scalenus syndrome.
• The surgeon explained the procedure to decompress the nerves affected by scalenus syndrome.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in differential diagnosis when a patient presents with unilateral (one-sided) arm pain and neurological symptoms, to distinguish it from conditions like cervical radiculopathy or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Variants and Related Words

• Scalene syndrome: An alternative name for the same condition.
• Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS): A broader category of disorders involving compression of nerves or blood vessels in the thoracic outlet area; scalenus syndrome is one type of neurogenic TOS.

Synonyms

• Neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (when specifying the nerve compression type)
• Scalenus anticus syndrome (an older, less common term)

Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs or Idioms)

• Compression: The act of pressing or squeezing, which is the central mechanism of this syndrome.
• Brachial plexus: The network of nerves that is compressed.
• Subclavian artery: The blood vessel that is compressed.

Noun

1. discomfort and vascular symptoms and loss of sensation in a shoulder and arm; caused by a scalene muscle compressing the subclavian artery and part of the brachial plexus