Vascular anomalies and tracheoesophageal compression: a single institution's 25-year experience

Vascular rings are uncommon anomalies in which preferred strategies for diagnosis and treatment may vary among institutions. In this report, we offer a description of our approach and a review of our 25-year experience.

A retrospective review was conducted of all pediatric patients with symptomatic tracheoesophageal compression secondary to anomalies of the aortic arch and great vessels diagnosed from 1974 to 2000.

Thirty-one patients (38%) of eighty-two patients (mean age, 1.7 years), were identified with double aortic arch, 22 patients (27%) with right arch left ligamentum, and 20 patients (24%) with innominate artery compression. Our diagnostic approach emphasized barium esophagram, along with echocardiography. This regimen was found to be reliable for all cases except those with innominate artery compression for which bronchoscopy was preferred, and except those with pulmonary artery sling for which computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, in addition to bronchoscopy, were preferred. Left thoracotomy was the most common operative approach (70 of 82; 85%). Ten patients (12%) had associated heart anomalies, and 6 (7%) patients underwent repair. Complications occurred in 9 (11%) patients and led to death in 3 (4%) patients.

In our practice, barium swallow and echocardiography are sufficient in diagnosing and planning the operative strategy in the majority of cases, with notable exceptions. Definitive intraoperative delineation of arch anatomy minimizes the risk of misdiagnosis or inadequate treatment.