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Subclavian steal syndrome: report of 28 cases
1Department of Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
Objective:
To study the experience in the treatment of subclavian steal syndrome (SSS) and the relation between SSS and the damage of brain.
Methods:
In 28 patients with SSS, 23 were operated on. They complained of vertigo, TIA, and claudication of arms. One patient suffered from severe stem ischemia spasm. All the patients were subjected to subtraction angiography. Fifteen of them showed retrograde flow in the vertebral arteries. Transcranial Doppler revealed retrograde blood flow in 8 patients. Single photon emission tomography showed inadequate blood supply to the brain with affected subclavian arteries in 4 patients. Carotid-subclavian arterial bypass was performed in 16 patients, axilloauxillary bypass in 3, PTA in 1, and aorta-carotid graft bypass in 3.
Results:
13 patients (13/23) had their cerebrovascular symptoms relieved. Transcranial Doppler and emission tomography after operation showed nothing abnormal.
Conclusion:
SSS is harmful and the patients should be closely monitored by means of transcranial Doppler and emission tomography.