Innominate Artery Compression Syndrome

Abstract

A series of 16 patients with tracheal compression by the innominate artery is presented. In more than half of the patients the symptoms began during the first few days of life with stridor of varying severity, recurrent tracheobronchitis and apneic spells. In six cases requiring surgical treatment the immediate result was good. In ten mild cases treatment consisted of medical management and follow-up. The present study confirms that the great arteries can exert severe compression on the trachea, which can always be relieved by means of an operation which moves the arteries forward. Bronchoscopy is considered to be the only reliable means of diagnosis. This entity should be considered more often in the differential diagnosis in children less than 3 years of age with stridor, breathing difficulties, recurrent infections, apneic spells, and asthma.

A Case Presented with Tracheal Compression Caused by An Anatomical Anomaly: The Innominate Artery Syndrome

“…The incidence of a common trunk has been reported varies widely from around 1% to as high as 27%. [4,5]. Most patients with an innominate artery compression syndrome present symptom of noisy breathing a barky cough, expiratory stridor, recurrent cough, apnea, wheezing, dyspnea on exertion, dysphagia.…”

External stenting: A reliable technique to relieve airway obstruction in small children

“…An airway obstruction in children may result from a cartilage ring, 1 congenital TBM, 2 vascular compression, 3 and other reasons. Presently, sliding plasty is the gold standard for a tracheal ring.…”

“…Severe airway obstruction in children may result from a congenital cartilage ring, intrinsic tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) or vascular compression syndrome. [1][2][3] Many of these patients, especially with vascular compression, have coexisting congenital heart diseases. Even if the patient does not exhibit a life-threatening hypoxic spell, secondary pneumonia and atelectasis may lead to obstructive pulmonary vascular disease.…”

Vascular compression of the left bronchus in a patient with funnel chest

“…Airway obstruction resulting from a vascular compression syndrome, which is often associated with a cardiovascular abnormality, can cause repeat pneumonia and atelectasis [1]. Herein, we present a case with a suspected skeletal dysplasia, who exhibited left bronchial compression by the pulmonary artery and the descending aorta, for whom an external stenting (ES) [2] was performed.…”