Right Aortic Arch with A Complete Vascular Ring Causing Tracheoesophageal Compression A Case Report

Right aortic arch (RAA) with a vascular ring, a congenital malformation of the great vessels of the thorax, is a rare disease in adulthood. Mostly, RAA is accompanied by congenital cardiovascular anomalies diagnosed during childhood, and cause symptoms from the compression of the trachea and/or esophagus.1 We report a case of a 53-year-old female with a RAA who presented with dyspnea on exertion, dysphagia, and a characteristic images of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan, and spirometry. There are a few reports in the literature about symptomatic RAA presented in adulthood, and it may mimic exercise-induced bronchospasm. So diagnosis of this condition may eliminate the need for corticosteroids and the symptoms may resolve completely by surgical intervention only. ( J Intern Med Taiwan 2007; 18: 104-107 )