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Dysphagia lusoria caused by a right-sided aorta
E De Caluwe1, S Verhaegen, G Van Roey
1Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital of Turnhout, Belgium. evadecaluwe@hotmail.com
Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica
|August 9, 2012
Summary
An 80-year-old woman experienced dysphagia lusoria due to esophageal compression from a right-sided aorta. Conservative management is recommended for this rare condition.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Surgery
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Dysphagia lusoria, difficulty swallowing, can arise from vascular anomalies compressing the esophagus.
- Aortic root anomalies, often linked to embryonic development and congenital heart defects, are a known cause.
Observation:
- An 80-year-old female presented with dysphagia lusoria.
- The cause was identified as esophageal compression by a right-sided atheromatous aorta.
Findings:
- Barium swallowing studies, CT, and MRI are diagnostic tools for aortic root vascular anomalies.
- This patient had a pauci-symptomatic presentation of dysphagia lusoria.
Implications:
- Conservative management is the preferred approach for pauci-symptomatic cases of dysphagia lusoria due to aortic anomalies.
- Understanding the link between aortic variations and esophageal compression aids diagnosis and treatment planning.
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