Vishwanath Hesarur
Introduction: Subclavian artery stenosis is most commonly caused by atherosclerotic disease. Surgical treatment is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Intervention is generally reserved for the management of symptomatic patients who present with upper limb ischemia, Vertebrobasilar symptoms and subclavian steal syndrome. Endovascular stenting is preferred over surgery because of high success rate, less invasive and minimal complications. Case report: Here we report a case of 56-year-old female patient with history of hypertension and diabetes presented with dizziness, vertigo and left arm claudication with use of her left upper extremity since last six months. She was diagnosed as a case of subclavian steal syndrome. Treatment: Patient underwent successful Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTA) of the left subclavian artery with marked improvement of symptoms at follow-up. Patient was monitored with Duplex ultrasound of left subclavian artery, measurement of BP and examination of pulse at each visit. Conclusion: PTA is an effective and safe with high success rate, less invasive and minimal complications when compared to surgery for the treatment of symptomatic subclavian artery stenosis. However, regular clinical and duplex ultrasound assessment of subclavian artery is necessary after angioplasty for monitoring restenosis.
