Angioplasty of subclavian artery stenosis proximal to the vertebral origin

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty was performed in nine patients with symptomatic proximal left subclavian artery stenoses. All cases were technically successful. One significant delayed complication occurred in a patient whose common carotid-to-subclavian artery bypass graft occluded several months after a successful subclavian artery angioplasty with a probable subsequent embolic occlusion of the internal carotid artery. The other patients were asymptomatic after follow-up evaluations of 4-23 months.