Unusual Vascular Ring Research Articles

Right subclavian artery anomaly in an adult Friesian horse

SummaryThis report describes an unusual vascular ring anomaly (VRA) that resulted in repeated oesophageal obstruction in an adult horse. Oesophagoscopy identified a luminal obstruction with secondary mucosal sloughing. Post mortem findings revealed oesophageal and tracheal stenosis secondary to an aberrant right subclavian artery. The presence of the VRA may have resulted in repeated oesophageal impactions in an adult horse and the hereditary potential for this defect should be considered.

Unusual vascular ring anomaly associated with a persistent right aortic arch and an aberrant left subclavian artery in German pinschers

The objective of this study was to describe a specific form of persistent right aortic arch (PRAA) in three German pinscher dogs and to analyse the mode of inheritance in the breed. This type of PRAA is characterised by a left retro-oesophageal subclavian artery in combination with a ligamentum arteriosum originating at the aberrant left subclavian artery (PRAA-SA-LA). This rare combination of anomalies has only been reported in two isolated cases in other dog breeds and the occurrence of any form of PRAA was not previously known to occur in the German pinscher. In the present study, 18 cases of this congenital anomaly were ascertained and their high degree of relatedness and inbreeding could be shown through pedigree analysis. Three of the affected dogs underwent further clinical investigations, and post-mortem examination (two cases) and findings at surgery (one case) verified the diagnosis of PRAA-SA-LA. A monogenic autosomal recessive mode of inheritance was not likely.

A vascular ring variant: an unusual case of vocal cord palsy due to an anomalous left carotid artery arising from a retrotracheal arch of the aorta

We present the case of an unusual vascular ring in a 23-year-old male patient who presented for CT examination of the chest for diagnostic work up for unilateral vocal cord palsy. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed the left common carotid artery to be arising from the ascending part of a retrotracheal arch of aorta and traversing anterior to the trachea in the retromanubrial space.

Unusual vascular ring anomaly associated with a persistent right aortic arch in two dogs

An unusual vascular ring anomaly consisting of a persistent right aortic arch and a left ligamentum arteriosum extending from the main pulmonary artery to an aberrant left subclavian artery and left aortic arch remnant complex was identified in a German shepherd dog and a great Dane. The left subclavian artery and left aortic arch remnant complex originated at the junction between the right distal aortic arch and the descending aorta and coursed dorsal to the oesophagus in a cranial direction. The attachment of the ligamentum arteriosum to the aberrant left subclavian artery was approximately 5 cm cranial to the point of origin of the aberrant left subclavian artery and left aortic arch remnant complex from the descending aorta in both dogs. This anomaly observed in both dogs is similar to an anomaly reported in humans, in which a persistent right aortic arch is found in conjunction with an aberrant left subclavian artery and a left aortic arch remnant (Kommerell's diverticulum). Surgical ligation and division of the left ligamentum arteriosum in both dogs, along with division of the left subclavian artery in the great Dane, resulted in resolution of clinical signs in both of the dogs in this report.

Unusual vascular ring formed by the anomalous left pulmonary artery, with tracheal compression

This is the report of stenosis of the trachea by a vascular ring formed by the anomalous course of the left pulmonary artery in a 2 1 2 - month-old infant. The anomalous left pulmonary artery originated from the distal part of the main stem of the right pulmonary artery and encircled the trachea in front of the esophagus. The role of the anomalous pulmonary artery is discussed in its relation to the embryonic development of the aortic arch system and to the other known types of vascular ring.