Surgical management of congenital vascular ring

ABSTRACT

Vascular ring is not an uncommon congenital anomaly. Since the opening of the cardiothoracic unit at the Royal hospital in December 1987, three children aged 4, 10 and 18 months with this anomaly were encountered. Their symptoms were stridor, recurrent respiratory tract infection and difficulty in swallowing Barium swallow was the most reliable invastigation at arriving at a diagnosis. Digital subtraction angiography [DSA] was found to be helpful and less invasive than angiography to delineate the anatomy specially in small babies. Angiography was performed on the 18 months old boy to confirm the diagnosis. All three cases were of double aortic arch anomalies. Surgical repair was performed through left thoracotomy. There were no deaths and all patients were asymptomatic at the time of follow-up