An Anomalous Right Subclavian Artery with a Retrotracheal Course: A Case Report

An aberrant right subclavian artery arising as the last vessel of the arch of aorta is an uncommon anatomic anomaly with prevalence reported between 0.2% and 2.0%. In 80% of the cases the aberrant right subclavian artery takes a retro-oesophageal course to the right upper limb. During routine dissection of cadavers for teaching undergraduate medical students an anomalous retrotracheal right subclavian artery which is a very rare vascular anomaly was encountered in a 35-year-old male cadaver. The artery arose as the last branch of the arch of aorta and coursed to the right between the trachea and oesophagus. The presence of this vascular anomaly could be an unusual cause of dysphagia and breathing difficulty. The clinical significance and embryological aspects of this vascular variant is discussed in this paper.