Abstract

ABSTRACTTwenty-one women and four men who had been operated upon for thoracic outlet syndrome were evaluated for symptom relief, and the results were blindly correlated with their scores on a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Of the 14 patients who had abnormal results on the MMPI, five rated themselves improved, seven unchanged, and two worse as a result of surgery. Of the 11 patients who had a normal MMPI, ten rated themselves improved and one unchanged (P < .05). Patients were then divided into two groups—those who were improved and those who were not improved by surgery—and mean MMPI scale scores were obtained for each group. There were significant differences for MMPI scales 1 and 3 (P < .05).