ABERRANT RIGHT SUBCLAVIAN ARTERY

Abstract

An aberrant right subclavian artery can occasionally give rise to clinical manifestations. Dysphagia as a symptom has long been known; however, in children, serious respiratory distress may occur, even in the absence of dysphagia.The retro-esophageal course of the right subclavian artery does not in itself account satisfactorily for the tracheo-esophageal compression, which can only occur if the carotid arteries present a common origin from the aortic arch or if they are in close approximation. This belief is based on a personal observation as well as a review of 292 necropsy and surgical cases, collected from 76 publications in the literature.The diagnosis was made from the esophagrams in 50 cases. Clinical signs of tracheoesophageal compression were found in 9. Two children presented with respiratory distress, necessitating surgical intervention in one of them. Dysphagia was noted in 7 cases, all adults.The indentations in the barium-filled esophagus caused by the aberrant vessel are discussed. Attentio...