Isolation of the subclavian artery is associated with “steal” of blood from the carotid circulation to the arm, through the circle of Willis and the vertebral artery. When associated with a patent arterial duct, there is an additional “steal” of blood from the arm to the lungs, through the arterial duct because of the lower pulmonary vascular resistance. When this combination manifests clinically with arm ischaemia on the side of the isolated subclavian artery, closure of the arterial duct will prevent the “steal” of blood from the subclavian artery to the pulmonary artery and may improve the blood flow to the arm. We report three patients with this unusual combination of the “steal” phenomenon that improved after interventional closure of the arterial duct. This report discusses the embryological basis of the defect, clinical and echocardiographic clues to diagnose this unusual anomaly, angiographic findings, and transcatheter management options.

We present a rare case of pseudoaneurysm of right subclavian artery who presented with supraclavicular mass. Injury of the subclavian artery causing pseudoaneurysm is a serious surgical emergency and a surgical intervention is indicated.

The nonrecurrent laryngeal nerve is vulnerable during thyroid surgery. Pre-operative recognition of this nerve allows surgeons to avoid injuring the nerve. This anomaly depends upon the aortic arch anomaly and, therefore, in some cases, surgeons are able to predict the presence of this nerve pre-operatively by chest X-ray or barium swallow. Two patients with nonrecurrent laryngeal nerve are reported, one of whom, a 48-year-old man, had an abnormal shadow of the aortic arch, which led to confirmation of a right aberrant subclavian artery. Barium swallow plays a decisive role in the diagnosis of nonrecurrent laryngeal nerve, and this test is mandatory in patients who complain of difficulty in swallowing.