A case of stress polycythemia without symptoms of cerebral ischemia is presented. The patient demonstrated a blood flow reversal through the right vertebral artery that was caused by a complete obstruction of the right subclavian artery at its origin. This obstruc tion may have been due to thrombosis associated with stress polycythemia. This is a rare example of a case in which thrombotic complications of stress polycythemia occurred in a larger caliber vessel such as the subclavian artery.
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