Confirmation of the diagnosis of subclavian artery steal syndrome requires a comprehensive analysis in conjunction with the patient’s medical history, clinical symptoms and relevant investigations, including
Medical history, patients mostly have a history of atherosclerosis, arteritis, congenital developmental anomalies, chest injury or injury of medical origin.
Symptoms, patients mainly present with symptoms of inadequate blood supply to the vertebrobasilar artery and ischaemia in the affected limb, including vertigo, visual impairment, headache, impaired consciousness, inflexibility, numbness and weakness of the affected upper limb, and blood pressure that is more than 20mmHg lower than that of the healthy side.
On relevant investigations, the diagnosis is mainly based on ultrasound sonography and DSA digital subtraction angiography, which reveals stenosis of the proximal segment of the subclavian artery and the presence of reverse blood flow in the ipsilateral vertebral artery, which allows a definitive diagnosis of the disease.