[Surgical correction of double aortic arch in infants]

The article generalizes the experience in the surgical correction of a rare anomaly of the aortic arch--a vascular ring in the form of a double arch of the aorta in 2 babies. In a 9-month-old baby with Fallot's tetralogy the double aortic arch was found during an operation. The child died after the operation (division of the left arch of the aorta distal to the left subclavian artery in a left descending aorta and formation of a subclavian-pulmonary anastomosis). In the other 3-month-old patient with a marked picture of tracheo-esophageal compression tracheobronchoscopy and esophagography showed a double aortic arch with predominance of the right arch, right descending aorta, and a wide patent ductus arteriosus. The operation involved division of the ductus arteriosus and the hypoplastic left aortic arch between the left common carotid and left subclavian arteries. A prolonged period of regression of the symptomatology of tracheoesophageal compression was noted in the postoperative period. Early recognition of this anomaly of the aortic arch and active surgical tactics facilitate improvement of the results.