Endovascular management of subclavian artery stenosis using balloon expandable covered stents.

Covered stents have primarily been used in coronary arteries for exclusion of perforations, aneurysms, and fistulas. The use of covered stents to treat occlusive disease of first-order aortic branches has been proposed as a method to reduce intimal hyperplasia and improve patency rates, since they exclude plaque and prevent luminal encroachment through open struts, but their selective use in subclavian artery stenosis has not been previously reported. We present three cases of subclavian artery stenosis that were successfully treated via a percutaneous approach with covered stents.