A New Operation for Repairing Aortic Arch Atresia in Infancy

Abstract
Aortic arch atresia is a comparatively rare congenital anomaly that commonly produces heart failure and death in early infancy. A new operative procedure is described which is applicable to type I, where the atresia lies distal to the left subclavian artery. It provides a lumen that is equal to the descending thoracic aorta by using the conjoined orifices of the left subclavian and common carotid arteries for anastomosis to the distal thoracic aorta. The chief advantage of this method is that it not only provides a vascular bridge with a lumen equal to the distal thoracic aorta, but also assures normal growth potential.