Introduction: The phenomenon of subclavian steal is a frequent haemodynamic phenomenon which rarely causes symptoms in the vertebrobasilar territory. When this does occur, it is known as the subclavian steal syndrome.
Clinical cases: We describe two patients with the syndrome of left subclavian steal diagnosed by doppler. In one of them, symptoms appeared after exercise of the left arm. Various aspects of the syndrome are discussed in relation to diagnosis and indications for treatment.
Conclusions: The subclavian steal syndrome is a condition which can be reliably diagnosed using doppler and the treatment of which should be decided individually in each case.