A rare case of double aortic arch: right thoracotomy and residual retroesophageal aortic arch

The case of a 2-year-old boy with tetralogy of Fallot and a complete double aortic arch (both arches patent) is reported. The left dominant aortic arch ran retroesophageally to the right and joined with the right smaller arch to form the descending thoracic aorta on the right side. We employed a right thoracotomy and performed a division of the right nondominant arch at the connection with the descending aorta. The surgical implications of an unusual type of double aortic arch are discussed.