Doppler evidence of subclavian steal in neonates with interrupted aortic arch using transthoracic echocardiography

Abstract

Since the initial description by Massumi in 1963,1 there have been numerous case reports describing the congenital form of the “subclavian steal syndrome.”2–9 Infants with interrupted aortic arch (IAA) and a subclavian artery distal to the site of interruption have the anatomic set up for retrograde flow, or “steal,” in the vertebral and subclavian arteries distal to the interruption. Although subclavian steal has been demonstrated using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography,10,11 transthoracic echocardiography has not been routinely used. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of transthoracic echocardiography in detecting subclavian steal in neonates with IAA.