Congenital Anomalies of the Aortic Arch and Its Branches

Abstract

The clinical significance of anomalies of the aortic arch and its branches is becoming more widely appreciated. Such anomalies are not infrequent, but in the large proportion of cases no untoward effects arise. Where disturbances are produced, however, they may be liable to misinterpretation. In the respiratory tract the commonest are stridor and an increased liability to pulmonary infection. In the alimentary system, difficulties in swallowing and irregular vomiting may occur. Diagnosis is almost exclusively radiological; the various methods are described, with some illustrative examples. Treatment, apart from chemotherapy of superimposed lung infections, is rarely indicated, because of the tendency to spontaneous recovery, but surgical correction may be life-saving. A short account is given of various types of anomaly encountered in pmediatric practice. © 1949, The Royal Society of Medicine. All rights reserved.