What is subclavian artery thrombosis?

Subclavian artery thrombosis is a condition in which the blood flow through the subclavian artery is obstructed. The occlusion typically arises secondary to damage to the intima of the vessel.

What happens if the right subclavian artery is blocked?

The symptoms that do occur are tied to the area that is blocked. You may experience arm pain or muscle fatigue when using your arms above your head, or doing any activity that demands more oxygen-rich blood flow to the arms. Other symptoms can include: Dizziness (vertigo) with arm activity.

What happens if the subclavian artery is damaged?

The recurrent laryngeal nerve can be damaged during dissection and clamping the right subclavian artery in the neck and left subclavian artery in the thorax. This nerve damage can result in hoarseness, which could be permanent.

What artery is most commonly occluded with subclavian steal syndrome?

The left subclavian artery is also the most commonly affected artery in Takayasu arteritis (85% of cases), a rare cause of the subclavian steal syndrome [20,21]. Males are affected by the atherosclerotic subclavian steal phenomenon more than females by a ratio of about 2:1.

What is the treatment for left left subclavian artery stenosis?

Symptomatic subclavian artery occlusive disease should be treated with endovascular stenting and angioplasty as first line management. If it is not successful then open surgery should be considered. Bypassing the carotid to the subclavian or to the axillary artery are both good treatment modalities.

What causes subclavian artery occlusion?

The subclavian occlusion occurs due to vessel wall intimal damage. The common causes of intimal damage include atherosclerosis, external muscular compression, trauma, and repetitive stress. There is a fourfold predilection for thrombosis of the left subclavian artery as compared to its right counterpart [1].

What are the symptoms of a blocked subclavian artery?

Upper extremity symptoms include arm claudication or muscle fatigue, rest pain, and finger necrosis. Neurologic issues include vertebrobasilar hypoperfusion including visual disturbances, syncope, ataxia, vertigo, dysphasia, dysarthria, and facial sensory deficits.

Can subclavian steal Cause Stroke?

With subclavian steal syndrome, if neurologic symptoms do occur, they tend to be transient (eg, hypoperfusive transient ischemic attack) and seldom lead to stroke.

Can you survive a shot to the subclavian artery?

Results: The causes of injuries were gunshot wounds in 46 patients (85%), stab wounds in 5 patients (9%), and shotgun wounds in 3 patients (6%). The overall mortality was 39%.

Which arm has higher blood pressure in subclavian steal?

1 Subclavian Steal Syndrome Ninety-four percent of patients with subclavian steal have a systolic blood pressure that is 20 mm Hg or more, which is lower on the affected arm (the mean difference between the arms is 45 mm Hg in affected patients).

How do you fix subclavian artery stenosis?

Most subclavian blockages can be treated with stents, but in some cases, surgery may be needed. With surgery, blood flow is rerouted across the blockage using a small plastic tube called a bypass graft. Both stents and surgery are highly effective treatments and often help symptoms improve.

What are the symptoms of subclavian artery stenosis?

What does stenosis of the subclavian artery look like?

Subclavian and Vertebral Artery Stenosis. In the hemodynamic stenosis of the subclavian artery (SCA) a significantly elevated velocity is present, with change of the waveform from the normal triphasic to monophasic appearance.

When does the subclavian artery steal blood from the posterior circulation?

Subclavian artery branches distal to the obstruction act as collateral pathways to maintain upper limb perfusion. If the level of stenosis or occlusion is proximal to the vertebral artery, then reversal of flow in the vertebral artery may occur, thereby stealing blood from the posterior circulation.

How to diagnose subclavian artery occlusion in CT?

CT subclavian artery stenosis or occlusion is easily identified delayed enhancement of ipsilateral vertebral artery unable to determine the direction of flow in the vertebral artery

What do you need to know about subclavian steal syndrome?

Subclavian steal phenomenon refers to steno-occlusive disease of the proximal subclavian artery with retrograde flow in ipsilateral vertebral artery. Subclavian steal syndrome refers to steno-occlusive disease of the proximal subclavian artery with retrograde flow in ipsilateral vertebral artery and associated cerebral ischemic symptoms.