Endovascular Treatment of Subclavian Artery Stenosis: Single-Center Experience

Abstract

Introduction The aetiology of subclavian artery stenosis can be very different, but typically the most common form is due to atherosclerotic disease. Interventional treatment is generally indicated for upper limb ischemia, vertebrobasilar symptoms and subclavian steal syndrome, coronary steal syndrome. Endovascular stenting is preferred over surgery because of its high success rate, less invasive nature, and minimal complication rate. In this study the characteristics of patients treated endovascularly due to subclavian artery stenosis in our centre and their procedural details will be examined. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with subclavian artery stenosis treated by endovascular techniques in our centre between January 2019 and January 2021. Result Twelve (80%) of 15 patients with stenotic subclavian arteries were successfully treated with endovascular techniques. In 3 patients, the procedure was terminated with failure.The mean age of the patients was 64.66 years old and 3(20%) of the patients were female. All of the patients were receiving antihypertensive treatment with the diagnosis of hypertension, and 4 (26.66%) patients had Diabetes mellitus, 13 (86.66%) patients had hyperlipidemia, 13 (86.66%) patients had coronary artery disease. In 2 patients, the lesion was diagnosed in the right subclavian artery. In 7 patients, the procedure was performed with the telescopic method from a transfemoral approach. In 5 patients, the transradial approach was used. In 3 patients, the procedure was performed directly over the transbrachial approach. Balloon expandable stent implantation was performed in 10 (66.66%) patients at the end of the procedure, and self-expandable stent implantation was performed in 1 patient. Conclusion In conclusion, signs and symptoms can be managed effectively with endovascular techniques in patients with significant subclavian artery disease. In this study, we shared our real-life data on subclavian artery endovascular treatment.