Endovascular revascularization of subclavian artery occlusion: Case report and review of endovascular techniques

Subclavian artery (SCA) disease is caused by stenosis or occlusion of the proximal segment of the SCA, resulting in a retrograde blood flow of the ipsilateral vertebral artery. It is rare, with a prevalence of 0.6% to 6.4% in the general population. The common cause of this disease is atherosclerosis, followed by Takayasu's arteritis. The endovascular approach is currently the first treatment option; the success rate of this approach achieved 100% reported by many authors in the case of SCA stenosis. However, the success rate of this approach is lower in the case of SCA total occlusion, and the main reason is the inability of the wire to cross the lesion. The emergent novel endovascular techniques are trying to provide an effective solution. Recently, novel endovascular methods were successfully performed and reported in the literature. Nevertheless, a small sample size limited these studies; therefore, large-scale prospective studies are needed to ascertain their feasibility, effectiveness, and safety. In this present study, we report a successful stent-assisted angioplasty and review of endovascular techniques for the SCA total occlusion.