Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Pulmonary artery sling (subcarinal type) and patent ductus arteriosus
- Radiologic Findings
- Serial transaxial images (Fig. a-f) of contrast enhanced chest CT scan and three-dimensional volume rendering images (Fig. g-h) show an anomalous and low origin of left pulmonary artery (arrow) arising the right pulmonary artery. This anomalous left pulmonary artery cross the subcarinal area and swing behind the left main bronchus to reach the left hilum. The left main bronchus is narrowed. Also note a dilated and tortous patent ductus arteriosus (arrowhead).
- Brief Review
- "Pulmonary sling" is the term commonly used to describe an anomalous or aberrant left pulmonary artery (1-3). In the classic form (supracarinal) of pulmonary sling, an anomalous, retrotracheal left pulmonary artery arises from the extrapericardial segment of the right pulmonary artery and wraps around the junction of the trachea and right main stem bronchus to pass in front of the esophagus on its way to the left lung. The anomalous artery may cause compression of the right main stem bronchus. Subcarinal type of pulmonary sling, however, anomalous and low origin of a good sized left pulmonary artery arises from right pulmonary artery and cross the subcarinal area and swing behind the left main bronchus to reach the left hilum.Therefore, it causes left main bronchus obstruction like our case (4).
- References
- 1. Stone DN, Bein ME, Garris JB. Anomalous left pulmonary artery: two new adult cases. Am J Roentgenol 1980; 135:1259-1263
2. Moncada R, Demos Tc, Churchill R, Reyes C. Case report. Chronic stridor in a child: CT diagnosis of pulmonary vascular sling. J Comput Assist Tomogr 1983; 7:713-715
3. Berdon WE. Rings, slings, and other things: vascular compression of the infant trachea updated from the midcentury to the millennium--the legacy of Robert E. Gross, MD, and Edward B. D. Neuhauser, MD.Radiology 2000; 216(3):624-632
4. Fraisse A, Daou L, Bonhoeffer P. An unusual (subcarinal) case of pulmonary artery sling. Heart 2001; 85:457
- Keywords
- Vascular, Congenital,