What Is Subclavian Steal Syndrome?

When a certain artery in the human body is partially or completely occluded, the pressure at its distal end significantly decreases, and a "siphon" effect is generated, which "steales" from nearby blood vessels through the side branches of the arterial blood vessels, thereby making the blood supply area of adjacent blood vessels A series of symptoms of insufficient blood supply occur, which are medically referred to as "stealing blood" syndrome. The following are more common clinically:

Stealing blood syndrome

When a certain artery in the human body is partially or completely occluded, the pressure at its distal end significantly decreases, and a "siphon" effect is generated, which "steales" from nearby blood vessels through the side branches of the arterial blood vessels, thereby making the blood supply area of adjacent blood vessels A series of symptoms of insufficient blood supply occur, which are medically referred to as "stealing blood" syndrome. The following are more common clinically:

Subclavian artery stolen blood syndrome: The subclavian artery is the main large blood vessel supplying blood to the brain, spinal cord, chest and back, and upper limbs. When it occludes most or all of the vertebral arteries that supply the blood to the brain, the vertebral blood on the affected side is caused to flow backward due to the siphon effect, and the blood on the other side is also "stolen" and enters the The lateral subclavian artery supplies the upper extremities, resulting in ischemic symptoms of the brain and affected upper extremities. When checking blood pressure, it is often found that the difference between the systolic blood pressure of the two upper limbs is more than 2.7kPa (20mmHg), and the pulse of the upper limb of the affected side is as late as 0.03-0.06s (normally not more than 0.002-0.01s). Hearing systolic murmurs were heard. However, the exact diagnosis of this disease still depends on arteriography.

Internal and external carotid blood stealing syndrome: The left and right internal carotid arteries are the main blood vessels that supply blood to the brain and eyes. When the internal carotid artery is occluded on one side, the blood from the internal carotid artery or vertebral basilar artery will be compensated for. If the blood supply on the other side is inherently poor, at this time, a portion of the blood supply on the opposite side will be separated, resulting in insufficient blood supply. Patients often have symptoms such as dizziness, headache, unstable walking, dazzling, hearing loss, and pain in the headrest.

Vertebro-basal artery steal syndrome: The vertebral artery is the main blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain. When it is occluded, especially when both the left and right vertebral arteries are occluded, blood can be stolen from the internal carotid artery system through the vascular network. If the vascular network in the brain is sound and the cerebral arteries are free of diffuse disease, the patient may be asymptomatic. If the blood supply of the internal carotid artery is inherently inadequate and the vertebral arteries "stealing blood" cannot be met, the patient may experience symptoms such as mild hemiplegia, aphasia, and insufficient blood supply to the brain.

Cerebral hemisphere arterial steal syndrome: This is rare, it can occur in cerebrovascular malformations, brain tumors and inappropriate treatment of acute phase of cerebral infarction, local brain tissue blood is "stolen" and produces a series of psycho-neurological symptoms .

If the "blood stealing" phenomenon recurs and the symptoms are severe, endarterectomy, endovascular stent, or vascular reconstruction is required. It is not advisable to use vasodilators and antihypertensive drugs to prevent the theft of blood.