Subclavian artery stenosis treated by transluminal angioplasty: six cases.

Transluminal angioplasty (TLA) has been used in six patients with subclavian artery stenosis admitted to a large community hospital. Five patients had lesions proximal to the origin of the left vertebral artery, three of whom had angiographic evidence of subclavian steal syndrome. In all six, arteries were successfully dilated with only one complication of a hematoma at an arteriotomy site. In a 10 to 24-month follow-up, all six patients have remained totally asymptomatic without any further complications.