Diverticulum of Kommerell: a review of a series and a report of a case with tracheal deviation compromising single lung ventilation

Kommerell's diverticulum in the current era: a comprehensive review

Kommerell's diverticulum is a developmental error with a remnant of fourth dorsal aortic arch, named after Dr. Kommerell, a radiologist, who made the first diagnosis in a living individual. The diverticulum can occur in both the left and right aortic arch, from which an aberrant subclavian artery rises to the contralateral side. Pediatric patients often present with airway symptoms whereas dysphagia and chest discomfort are more common in the adult patients. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging can provide details of the diverticulum, associated arch anomalies, and its relationship with surrounding organs. Recent histological studies indicated the presence of cystic medial necrosis in the diverticulum wall, which would explain the reported high rates of aortic dissection and rupture associated with the diverticulum. Accumulated knowledge on this entity and the recent advancement of imaging techniques, surgical/endovascular strategies, and perioperative management, have led to more aggressive intervention to the diverticulum in the early phase. While still under debate it is generally accepted to consider surgical intervention when the diameter of the diverticulum orifice exceeds over 30 mm, and/or the diameter of the descending aorta adjacent to the diverticulum exceeds over 50 mm. Treatment options include open surgical repair, hybrid endovascular repair, and total endovascular repair. The selection of treatment strategy for Kommerell's diverticulum should be based on the anatomy, comorbidities of the patient, and surgical expertise available. The summaries of open and endovascular repairs of over 210 cases from literature search from 2004 to 2014 are also provided in this review.

Syncope as initial presentation of kommerell diverticulum

Kommerell diverticulum (KD) is an aortic arch diverticulum at the origin of an aberrant subclavian artery. It is a rare anatomical anomaly that can be associated with a double aortic arc, a left aortic arch, and anomalous origin of the right subclavian artery or a right aortic arch with anomalous left subclavian artery. We present a case of KD presenting initially as syncope, as well as a review of the literature of this rare syndrome, including diagnosis, imaging techniques, and current surgical treatments.

A Case of Kommerell's Diverticulum Initially Detected by Transesophageal Echocardiography

Kommerell's diverticulum is a rare congenital disorder characterized by typical right sided aortic arch and aberrant left subclavian artery which are usually detected by accident in asymptomatic patients. However, some of patients complain of severe symptoms caused by compression of the adjacent organs or complicated aortic dissection by the diverticulum. Early detection of the disease can lead to elective surgical correction. In this article, we report a Kommerell's diverticulum case initially detected by transesophageal echocardiography.

Kommerell's Diverticulum: An Unusual Cause of Chronic Cough

A 62-year-old male presented to the outpatient department of chest with history of dry cough since two months and swelling on the anterior aspect of neck of 30-year duration. Physical examination revealed a goitre. However, further imaging studies revealed presence of another associated pathology, a Kommerell's diverticulum in association with a right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery. The enlarged thyroid was not compressing the trachea, and its occurrence in this case could be incidental. The diverticulum was considered as the cause of chronic cough in our case as it was causing tracheal compression, and also there were no other obvious causes which could explain the symptom. Vascular anomalies such as Kommerell's diverticulum, though uncommon, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic cough particularly when other common causes have been ruled out.

Esophageal atresia and diverticulum of Kommerell

Diverticulum of Kommerell is an outpouching from the descending aorta that, along with an aberrant subclavian artery and ductus arteriosus, may form a vascular ring compressing the trachea and/or the esophagus. It has been reported as an incidental finding as well as the cause of persistent dysphagia, cough, "asthma," or airway compromise at various ages but has never been reported as a cause of esophageal atresia in a newborn. We present a newborn with diverticulum of Kommerell, a vascular ring, and esophageal atresia.

[Differential diagnosis of saccular aneurysms of the isthmus aortae: example of a penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer. Case-report and review of the literature]

Most aneurysms of the isthmus aortae, particularly those following thoracic trauma, are most likely to be diagnosed as acute dissecting or post-traumatic pseudoaneurysms. Furthermore, penetrating atherosclerotic ulcers in patients with atherosclerosis, congenital aneurysms such as ductus diverticulum and Kommerell's diverticulum, luetic aneurysms, and saccular aneurysms associated with Marfan's syndrome have to be included in the list of differential diagnoses. In view of the severe effect of any open thoracic surgical intervention, exact preoperative diagnosis is crucial. We report the case of a 73-year-old male patient who was accidentally diagnosed with an aneurysm of the atherosclerotic isthmus aortae. The aneurysm extended from the aorta to the dorsal site. The sacciform aneurysm (4.5 cm) was resected electively. Based upon localisation and pathomorphological findings, a penetrating ulcer was diagnosed. We also present a review of the current literature and give a survey of the differential diagnoses of aneurysms of the aortic isthmus: penetrating atherosclerotic ulcus, acute (traumatic) dissecting aneurysm, post-traumatic pseudoaneurysm, ductus diverticulum, Kommerell's diverticulum, syphilitic aneurysm, and sacciform aneurysm due to Marfan's syndrome.