High level cross of the esophagus with the descending aorta in scoliosis: CT study.
OBJECTIVE
The esophagus occasionally crosses the descending aorta at an unusually high level (3-5 cm inferior to the carina) in right-sided scoliosis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mechanism of this finding.


METHODS
We prospectively evaluated thoracic CT scans in 30 patients with right-sided scoliosis. We assessed the alterations in the positions of the esophagus and the descending aorta by the thoracic deformity.


RESULTS
The descending aorta followed the scoliotic curve of the spine in 26 (87%) patients. The esophagus followed the scoliotic curve of the spine in 14 (47%) patients and did not in 16 (53%). The anteroposterior diameter of the thorax in the former group was significantly smaller than that in the latter (p < 0.01). High level cross of both structures was identified in 14 (47%) patients, and all of them belonged to the group in which the esophagus did not follow the scoliotic curve of the spine.


CONCLUSIONS
The unusual high level cross of the esophagus with the descending aorta occasionally seen in scoliosis is due to a difference in the positional alterations of the two structures resulting from the scoliosis.
Takahashi
K
K
Department of Radiology, Jichi Medical School Hospital, Tochigi-ken, Japan.
Kikuno
M
M
Hyodoh
H
H
Hyodoh
K
K
Furuse
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013131:Spine / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed