Subclavian artery disruption resulting from endovascular intervention: treatment options

Endovascular intervention is a commonly accepted form of treatment in patients with subclavian artery stenosis. Complications will undoubtedly occur as the utility of catheter-based intervention continues to rise. We report two cases of subclavian artery disruption as a result of endovascular intervention. One patient had contrast extravasation after the deployment of a balloon-expandable stent in a stenotic subclavian artery, and the arterial injury was successfully treated with balloon tamponade. A second patient had a large subclavian pseudoaneurysm 4 months after a balloon-expandable stent placement. Successful repair was achieved in this patient by means of arterial reconstruction with a prosthetic bypass graft. These cases illustrate different therapeutic methods of treating subclavian artery rupture due to endovascular intervention.