Rare cause of acute ischemia of the right upper extremity: thrombosis of a retroesophageal subclavian artery.

Thrombosis of a subclavian artery is an uncommon cause of acute upper extremity ischemia in the elderly. Malformations of the aortic arch system are also rare. The purpose of this report is to describe an unusual case involving acute ischemia of the right upper extremity due to extensive thrombosis of a retroesophageal right subclavian artery (RSA) in a 79-year-old woman. Despite delayed diagnosis of the underlying etiology, the patient was successfully treated by extensive thrombectomy of the arteries in the upper extremity and right subclavian-to-carotid artery transposition.