Table 3.
Complication Rate of Each Surgical Approach
| Approach | Complication Rate |
|---|---|
| Transaxillary (n = 2,326; systematic review)4 | Pleural opened or pneumothorax: 14% Neurological injury: 5% Vascular injury: 0.1% (3 veins) Death: 0.04% (1 case) |
| Supraclavicular scalenectomy with first rib excision (n = 683; systematic review)4 | Pleural opened or pneumothorax: 19% Neurological injury: 3% Vascular injury: 0.3% (3 veins, 1 artery) Death: 0.07% (1 case) |
| Supraclavicular scalenectomy without first rib excision (n = 674; systematic review)4 | Pleural opened or pneumothorax: 5% Neurological injury: 7% Vascular injury: 0.2% (1 vein) Death: 0% |
| Infraclavicular (n = 55; case-control study)11 | Pneumothorax: 7% Neurological injury: 0% |
| Posterior (n = 2,305; case series)12 | Pleural opened: most cases (unknown rate) Neurological injury: unknown rate |
| Combined transaxillary and supraclavicular (n = 94; case-control study)13 | Pneumothorax: 4% Neurological (phrenic nerve) injury: 1% |
| Combined supraclavicular and infraclavicular (n = 100; case series)14 | Pneumothorax: 0% Neurological injury: 6% Pleural effusion and hemothorax: 6% |
| Endoscopic-assisted transaxillary (n = 131; case series)6 | Pneumothorax: 3% Neurological (long thoracic and axially nerve) injury: 2% |
| Video-assisted thoracoscopic (n = 30; case-control study)8 | Pleural opened:100% Neurological (brachial plexus) injury: 3% |