Non-penetrating injury to the subclavian artery has not often been reported. The limited
experience of surgeons with this type of trauma and the difficult vascular control
required for its management make it a surgical challenge. We report on two cases,
one after blunt trauma and the other with a subclavian artery aneurysm following anterior
dislocation of the shoulder. Percutaneous stent implantation in the subclavian artery
was successfully performed with, in the second case, coil embolization of the aneurysm.
Follow-up Doppler sonography and angiogram demonstrated patency and luminal integrity
of the involved artery. This less invasive procedure may be a significant advance
and a new approach in the conservative management of traumatic subclavian injury for
selected cases.
Subclavian artery - Blunt injury - Transluminal angioplasty - Stents - Thoracic trauma
