The "shoulder-hand syndrome" or pain in the shoulder or arm is an
extremely vital subject for the multi-disciplinary approach and usually
re- quires more than one speciality for complete evaluation. The
proceedings of this symposium - organized by the department of general
surgery of the University of Limburg - cover the field thoroughly with
contributions from outstanding specialists from all over the world.
Rheumatological, neuro- surgical, orthopedic, and traumatological
aspects are covered. Vascular surgeons considering both venous and
arterial problems entwine with thoracic surgeons to review the thoracic
outlet problem. Establishing a diagnosis in this multi-disciplinary
field is extremely important and encom- passes a combination of
disciplines including neurology, orthopedics, sur- gery, and physical
medicine. Likewise, the role of each contributing factor must be
assessed when multiple sources were responsible for pain. In addition to
adequate diagnosis, it is important to institute the appropriate therapy
and to establish the proper priority and timing of such therapies. The
follow-up techniques particularly regarding thoracic outlet syndrome are
extremely important to provide an objective basis for evaluation.
Although many advances have been made in the field of objective
diagnosis and therapy, there still is a great deal of overlap and
confusion which has to be clarified. Professor Greep and his organizing
committee have done a wonderful job in composing a program covering all
aspects of this field. They are to be congratulated on bringing us a
"timely current status" report on pain in the shoulder and arm.
