Subclavian artery steal syndrome does not usually cause discomfort in the lower limbs and manifests mainly as vertebrobasilar artery ischaemia and ischaemic manifestations in the upper limbs, with a few patients presenting with manifestations of internal carotid artery ischaemia, including.
Vertebrobasilar artery ischaemia, manifested by vertigo, visual disturbances, headache, impaired consciousness and, rarely, intermittent claudication, dysphonia, dysphagia, convulsions and mental disturbances.
Ischemia of the upper limbs, manifested by inflexibility, numbness, weakness, chills and diminished or absent radial artery pulsations in the affected upper limbs.
Rarely, ischemia of the internal carotid artery system is seen, manifested by hemiplegia, aphasia, memory loss and other symptoms of damage to the cerebral hemispheres.