eMedicine Specialties > Thoracic Surgery > Vascular

Subclavian Artery Thrombosis: Follow-up

Author: Mary C Mancini, MD, PhD, Director of Cardiothoracic Transplantation, Professor, Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Jan 15, 2008

Outcome and Prognosis

The results from stenting procedures on the subclavian artery document an 87% patency rate after 3 years. Operative outcomes demonstrate about a 90% patency rate after 5 years.

The prognosis for the patient with atherosclerotic disease is directly dependent upon the severity of the disease and the willingness of the patient to modify lifestyle, including cessation of tobacco use and regulation of diet. If these modifications are made, the progression of the atherosclerotic process slows and the chance for recurrence of thrombosis falls.

For the patient whose occlusion is secondary to thoracic outlet problems, the prognosis after therapy is excellent.

Future and Controversies

The future therapy of subclavian artery thrombosis will most likely involve the use of endovascular stents. As technology improves and a better understanding of restenosis issues is achieved, stenting of the lesions will be more commonplace.

Careful assessment of patients with thoracic outlet syndrome will be required because of the complexity of this problem, the multiple structures involved, and the high-profile medicolegal issues that arise with treatment of these patients. Operative treatment of the arterial complications of the thoracic outlet syndrome should be performed. However, careful evaluation of the potentially associated venous and neurological pathologies should be undertaken prior to any operative therapy.

 


More on Subclavian Artery Thrombosis

Overview: Subclavian Artery Thrombosis
Workup: Subclavian Artery Thrombosis
Treatment: Subclavian Artery Thrombosis
Follow-up: Subclavian Artery Thrombosis
Multimedia: Subclavian Artery Thrombosis
References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

subclavian artery thrombosis, subclavian artery occlusion, subclavian steal syndrome, cerebral steal syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, atherosclerosis, atherosclerotic disease, muscular compartment syndromes, hypercoagulable states, subclavian vein thrombosis, catheter-directed thrombolytic therapy, angioplasty, stents, stenting

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Mary C Mancini, MD, PhD, Director of Cardiothoracic Transplantation, Professor, Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
Mary C Mancini, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American Heart Association, American Medical Association, American Thoracic Society, Association for Academic Surgery, Association for Surgical Education, International College of Surgeons, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, New York Academy of Sciences, Phi Beta Kappa, and Southern Thoracic Surgical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Jeffrey Lawrence Kaufman, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine
Jeffrey Lawrence Kaufman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Surgeons, American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, Association for Academic Surgery, Association for Surgical Education, Massachusetts Medical Society, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Vascular Surgery
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Daniel S Schwartz, MD, FACS, Clinical Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, New York University School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Surgery, Division of Thoracic Surgery, North Shore University Hospital/Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Daniel S Schwartz, MD, FACS is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Surgeons, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, Association for Academic Surgery, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Paolo Zamboni, MD, Professor of Surgery, Chief of Day Surgery Unit, Chair of Vascular Diseases Center, University of Ferrara, Italy
Paolo Zamboni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Venous Forum and New York Academy of Sciences
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

John Geibel, MD, DSc, MA, Professor, Department of Surgery, Section of Gastrointestinal Medicine and Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine; Director of Surgical Research, Department of Surgery, Yale-New Haven Hospital
John Geibel, MD, DSc, MA is a member of the following medical societies: American Gastroenterological Association, American Physiological Society, American Society of Nephrology, Association for Academic Surgery, International Society of Nephrology, New York Academy of Sciences, and Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
Disclosure: AMGEN Royalty Other; AMGEN Consulting fee Consulting

 
 
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