Surgical treatment of the aberrant retroesophageal right subclavian artery in adults (dysphagia lusoria). Report of two new cases and review of the literature

Abstract

Two cases of an aberrant right subclavian artery causing dysphagia lusoria in the adult are presented. The first patient was treated by dividing the aberrant vessel through a right posterolateral thoracotomy and anastomosing the divided subclavian artery to the ascending aorta with a Dacron graft. The second patient, had a simple division of the anomalous vessel through a left posterolateral thoracotomy, but developed a subclavian steal syndrome. These symptoms were relieved by anastomosing the stump of the artery to the ascending aorta with the use of a graft. The world literature is reviewed with reference to the operative treatment of the dysphagia lusoria in adults. A total of twenty surgically treated patients have been recorded. The mechanisms involved in the production of symptoms and the surgical approaches are reviewed and discussed.