title: Adult-onset dysphagia lusoria from an uncommon vascular ring: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Vascular rings are a rare cause of symptoms in adult patients. We report the case of a 48-year-old woman presenting with dysphagia lusoria due to an uncommon vascular ring: right aortic arch with mirror-image branching and a left ligamentum arteriosum. No previous reports exist of adult-onset dysphagia lusoria attributable to this anatomy. The patient underwent a limited muscle-sparing thoracotomy with division of the ligamentum. The division interrupted the vascular ring and relieved her esophageal compression. The presentation, evaluation, pathophysiology, and treatment of this condition are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Section of Vascular Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Sitzman
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Mell
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Acher
mesh_terms: D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000151:congenital / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004940:Esophageal Stenosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005260:Female; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008875:Middle Aged; D013908:Thoracotomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures