Cardiac and aortic arch anomalies are a well-known cause of tracheal and esophageal compression producing stridor and dysphagia. We present a rarely encountered aortic arch anomaly in a 12-month-old infant who suffered from intermittent pulmonary wheezing. A discussion of the subsequent evaluation including an esophageal contrast study, computed tomography, angiocardiography, and bronchoscopy, will emphasize the diagnostic importance of these examinations. Preoperatively, a variant of Celoria type B aortic arch interruption was established by cardiac catheterization. The ascending aorta solely supplied both carotid arteries. Both subclavian arteries arose from the descending aorta, and all flow to the descending aorta was supplied via bilateral markedly enlarged vertebral arteries as a bilateral subclavian steal. Three areas of tracheal compression were noted at bronchoscopy. The patient's anomalous circulation was improved by the placement of a Gore-Tex graft connecting the ascending and descending aorta. A right-sided arterial ligament was divided in order to further relieve tracheal compression.

Aortic Arch Syndromes↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Computed tomography of temporal bone pneumatization: 2. Petrosquamosal suture and septum.

The degree of visualization of the petrosquamosal (Körner's) septum on high-resolution axial computed tomography (CT) in 141 temporal bones (100 subjects) was analyzed. The superior and inferior parts of the septum were assessed separately and were seen in 75% and 41% of cases, respectively. There was no relation between the size of Körner's septum and pneumatization. The clinical relevance of this finding is discussed. The CT features of the ventral petrosquamosal suture also were investigated. The crista tegmentalis, a contribution of the petrosal tegmen to the mandibular fossa, was seen on CT as a polypoid excrescence projecting from the ventrolateral petrous pyramid. This knowledge is useful in the radiographic analysis of the course of longitudinal fractures of the petrous bone.

Cranial Sutures↗