title: Treatment of symptomatic vascular rings in the elderly.
abstract: A 76-year-old woman presented with respiratory failure that was later determined to be a result of a right aortic arch with an aberrant left brachiocephalic artery. This vascular ring compressed the trachea, requiring operative intervention. A median sternotomy gave access for an aorta-to-left brachiocephalic artery bypass and division of the vascular ring. This is a unique case, because vascular rings rarely present in elderly patients with such acute life-threatening symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the oldest and heaviest patient ever reported with symptomatic presentation and one of only 4 patients over the age of 50. The current literature on vascular rings of the thoracic aorta in adults is reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, State University of New York-Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Rosemarie E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hardin
authors.forename: Gregory R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Brevetti
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanusi
authors.forename: Dinesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bhaskaran
authors.forename: Joshua H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Burack
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Genovesi
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lowery
authors.forename: Shahrokh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rafii
authors.forename: Elliot
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bondi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D016122:Brachiocephalic Trunk / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014132:Trachea / Q000473:pathology; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*