CCDS evaluation of the arteries of the upper limbs

Abstract

In contrast to the clinical presentation of stenosis or occlusion in the carotid arteries or arteries of the lower limbs, arterial compromise in the upper extremities is often relatively asymptomatic and occurs less frequently. When symptoms are present they relate both to the location and severity of the lesion and to the degree of muscular exertion in the affected vascular bed. Figure 1 summarizes the major arteries of the upper extremity including their origins and their most important branches. Special attention should be given to the origin of the vertebral arteries from the subclavian arteries, and to the anatomic differences in the origins of the right and left subclavian arteries; it is these features which lead to the characteristic hemodynamic consequences of stenoses or occlusions of the brachiocephalic or subclavian arteries respectively, as will be discussed in more detail later in the chapter.