Patient characteristics, types of lesion, routes of approach and techniques employed are discussed in relation to 94 cases of surgical treatment for chronic obstruction of the subclavian artery. The most frequently (60% of cases) used procedure was an extrathoracic by-pass operation, thrombo-endarterectomy being performed in 25%, r?implantations in 10%, and aortic by-pass implants in 6% of cases. Immediate and 30-day follow-up results are presented, and failures critically analyzed with regard to their relation to vascular or neurological complications, and those linked to the approach route. Conclusions to be drawn from these unsuccessful cases are exposed, as well as current tendencies in respect of indications for surgery in these lesions.
Adult Aged