Surgical treatment of occlusive subclavian artery disease

Thirty-eight patients underwent operations for subclavian artery stenosis over a 12-year period. Nineteen patients had neurologic symptoms and 12 had claudication or ischemia. The classic subclavian steal syndrome was rare. Twenty patients underwent carotid subclavian bypass and 14 underwent subclavian endarterectomy using a cervical or thoracic approach. Follow-up data were available in 35 of 38 patients (average follow-up 36 months). Thirteen of the 14 patients who underwent endarterectomy remained asymptomatic and showed no evidence of restenosis (average follow-up 53 months). Of the 20 patients who had carotid subclavian bypass, Dacron was the graft material used in eight patients and autogenous saphenous vein was used in 12. Thrombosis occurred in five of 12 saphenous vein grafts, two immediately after operation, one at 2 months and two at 10 months. An anastomotic stenosis was identified and corrected in one patient 38 months postoperatively. Recurrent or persistence of symptoms was directly related to graft failure. Thrombosis or stenosis did not occur in any of the Dacron grafts. All patients had some relief of symptoms. Subclavian endarterectomy or carotid subclavian bypass with Dacron gave excellent long-term results. Autogenous saphenous vein were unsatisfactory for these short bypasses.