Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Left pulmonary artery sling
- Radiologic Findings
- Fig 1. Chest PA shows an anomalous right paratracheal border.
Fig 2-6. CT scans show the abnormal course of the left pulmonary artery between the lower portion of the trachea and the esophagus. No definite tracheal stenosis is noted.
- Brief Review
- In this rare vascular developmental anomaly, the left pulmonary artery arises from the posterior aspect of the right pulmonary artery and passes between the trachea and esophagus to reach the left hilum. The left pulmonary artery thus forms a sling around the distal trachea and the proximal right main bronchus. Those affected by pulmonary artery sling may be classified generally into two groups: one with a normal bronchial pattern and the other with one or more malformations of the bronchotracheal tree (eg, stenosis of a long segment of the trachea or absence of the pars membranacea) as well as cardiovascular abnormalities. In the latter group, mortality and morbidity are high during infancy.The former group includes very few asymptomatic adults. In asymptomatic cases, a pulmonary artery sling may mimic a mediastinal mass on chest radiographs. CT and MRI may be used to establish the diagnosis with certainty.
- References
- 1. Casta
- Keywords
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Left pulmonary artery sling,