Two cases of 'asthma' revealing a diverticulum of Kommerell

Beyond the Classic Causes of Dysphagia: Bayford-Autenrieth Dysphagia

Dysphagia lusoria (DL) is a rare clinical entity that presents with dysphagia derived from the anatomical obstruction of the esophagus by an aberrant vessel originating from the right subclavian artery. We present the case of a 64-year-old patient with a medical history of chronic, intermittent, mild, and self-limited dysphagia for over 20 years, wherein we formulated the diagnosis of DL. A 64-year-old woman arrived at the emergency department with a 24-hour history of acute progressive dysphagia, leading to intolerance to oral intake and minimal exertion dyspnea. A thorough clinical analysis and exclusion of other more common clinical entities will lead to its diagnosis. Our patient presented with respiratory symptoms, which is rare considering that these clinical presentations are more common in the pediatric population, explained by its tracheal elasticity. The combination of respiratory symptoms in an elderly patient, along with the typical mechanical dysphagia of DL, adds complexity to the diagnostic process, making this case unique.

Reduced Exercise Tolerance Does Not Always Mean Bronchial Asthma

Reduced exercise tolerance in a patient in whom any heart diseases were preliminarily excluded suggests other frequent causes of effort-related symptoms, that is, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, lack of training, or overweight. The presented case underscores the importance of comprehensive diagnostic workup in children with exercise-related symptoms.

Rare case of vascular ring with Kommerell diverticulum mimicking uncontrolled asthma

Anomalies of the aortic arch associated with Kommerell diverticulum (KD) are rare congenital malformations. Symptomatic thoracic vascular rings presenting in adults are rare. We report a case of a 39-year-old woman who was diagnosed with uncontrolled asthma. She was complaining of worsening respiratory symptoms with dysphagia. Imaging studies and preoperative findings concluded to type II congenital anomaly of the aortic arch or Neuhauser's anomaly: a right-sided aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery, tracheoesophageal compression by KD and ligamentum arteriosum (LA). This compression was relieved by the resection of the LA and KD.

Kommerell's Diverticulum With a Twist: A Case of Recurrent Wheeze in an 8-Year-Old Boy

Kommerell's diverticulum is a rare, congenital aortic arch anomaly, usually associated with other vascular abnormalities. When present with a concurrent right-sided aortic arch and an aberrant subclavian artery, this triad can form a vascular ring that encompasses the trachea and esophagus. This anatomical variant is usually asymptomatic but can present with respiratory symptoms due to compression of the trachea. In this report, we discuss a case of a Kommerell's diverticulum, which presented as frequent and recurring asthma exacerbations in a pediatric patient.

Pre-stroke undiagnosed dysphagia lusoria as a rare cause of aspiration pneumonia with respiratory failure in a stroke patient

Introduction

Dysphagia is a risk factor for aspiration pneumonia and acute respiratory failure in acute stroke patients. Dysphagia lusoria is caused by compression on the esophagus from artery lusoria, when the aberrant right subclavian artery arises from the descending aortic arch. We present a rare case report of pre-stroke undiagnosed dysphagia lusoria as a cause of aspiration pneumonia with acute respiratory failure in a 67-year-old female patient admitted with a minor left intracerebral hemorrhage in the left basal ganglia. On admission to the stroke unit, she had Glasgow Coma Scale of 15, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale of 8, and a negative screening test for dysphagia, dysphasia, and right-sided hemiparesis. After 16 h of admission, dyspnea suddenly occurred with a decrease in SpO₂ (72%). X-ray of the lungs showed less ventilated areas of the lung due to aspiration pneumonia and a broad disfigured shadow of the anterior mediastinum on the base of the lusoria artery. Dysphagia lusoria was confirmed by spiral computed tomography angiography.

Conclusion

One aim of neurocritical care is the prevention of pneumonia from dysphagia due to risk of acute respiratory failure and secondary brain damage. Pre-stroke undiagnosed dysphagia lusoria could be one very rare cause. A broad disfigured shadow of the anterior mediastinum in X-ray of the lungs gives rise to the first suspicion of the possibility of dysphagia lusoria.

A case of acute traumatic aortic injury of a right-sided aortic arch with rupture of an aberrant left subclavian artery

Acute traumatic aortic injury is a potentially lethal condition with most patients die at the scene of the accidents. Rapid deceleration due to motor vehicle accidents is the commonest mechanism of injury. These injuries can be successfully repaired in the few patients who survive the initial trauma if proper diagnosis and rapid treatment are provided. The occurrence of acute traumatic aortic injury in patients with congenital abnormality of the aortic arch has been rarely reported; however, it renders the diagnosis and treatment more difficult. In this paper, we describe an extremely rare case of aortic injury in a young patient who had a right sided aortic arch with rupture of an aberrant left subclavian artery. The patient was suspected to have a Kommerell's diverticulum in the aberrant subclavian artery origin. This injury resulted in an unusually huge pseudoaneurysm involving part of the mediastinum and extending into the neck. Unfortunately; patient succumbed in spite of surgical intervention.

Right aortic arch and Kommerell's diverticulum associated with acute aortic dissection and pericardial tamponade

The right-sided aorta associated with an aberrant left subclavian artery is a rare anomaly of the aortic branches in the upper mediastinum. We present a 62-year-old patient suffering from an acute dissection of the ascending aorta associated with hemopericardium. In this case, there was also aneurysmal dilatation of the origin of the left subclavian artery, known as diverticulum of Kommerell.

[Hybrid treatment of a symptomatic aneurysm of a Kommerell's diverticulum]

Left aortic arch with aberrant right subclavian artery is the most common congenital vascular anomaly involving the aortic arch. In 60% of cases, the aberrant right subclavian artery arises from a dilated segment of the aortic arch called Kommerell's diverticulum. Aneurysm of the aberrant right subclavian artery is rare; this condition could remain clinically silent or it could originate nonspecific symptoms. Rupture of an aneurysm of the aberrant right subclavian artery is associated with high mortality. Although there are no exact criteria to indicate the treatment of this condition, repair of the aneurysm is recommended when symptoms occur or when it reaches a size of 30 mm to 50mm. The malformation can be suspected at plain-film X-ray examination, but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) are the imaging tests of choice for the diagnosis and for planning treatment. We present the case of a patient with an aberrant right subclavian artery with a small calcified aneurysm in a Kommerell's diverticulum that caused chest pain and dysphagia; the patient underwent a procedure combining endovascular and surgical treatment.

Cervical aortic arch and Kommerell's diverticulum associated with the anomalous subaortic left brachiocephalic vein in a patient with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion

We report the surgical case of an eight-year-old girl who had a very rare combination of ventricular septal defect and abnormal aortic arch anatomy: right cervical aortic arch, left descending aorta and Kommerell's diverticulum from which the left subclavian artery arose with anomalous subaortic left brachiocephalic vein. She was confirmed the chromosomal 22q11.2 deletion.

Adult-onset dysphagia lusoria secondary to a dissecting aberrant right subclavian artery associated with type B acute aortic dissection

The case of a 78-year-old African American woman who presented at the Mount Sinai Medical Center (Chicago, USA) with excruciating backache is presented. Computed tomography of the chest at the time of admission showed dissection of the aortic arch, descending aorta and dissection of an aberrant right subclavian artery. She was managed medically for Stanford type B acute aortic dissection. The patient was asymptomatic at presentation, but started complaining of new-onset dysphagia during her stay in the hospital. An esophagogram was performed and suggested posterior impingement of the esophagus, a classic sign of an aberrant right subclavian artery. Because the patient had multiple underlying comorbidities and the dysphagia was mild and intermittent, surgery was deferred. The patient was discharged home after complete stabilization and was scheduled for a follow-up appointment.

Coincidence of a right retroaortic circumflex coronary artery and a right-sided aortic arch with a retroesophageal course of the left subclavian artery (arteria lusoria)

An anomalous branch of the right coronary artery was found in a 71-year-old male cadaver with a right-sided aortic arch. The anomalous artery arose from the proximal portion of the right coronary artery and ran in a retroaortic course, before reaching the posterior wall of the heart. It was recognized as the right-sided variation of the circumflex coronary artery. The aortic arch had as branches the left common carotid, right common carotid, right subclavian, and left subclavian arteries, in that order, and the descending aorta was located in the right thorax. The left subclavian artery arose from a Kommerell's diverticulum and ran behind the esophagus, and the left-sided ligamentum arteriosum was also connected at the diverticulum. Therefore, the right aortic arch was classified as type N according to Adachi-Williams-Nakagawa and type III-B1 in accordance with Stewart-Edwards. The Kommerell's diverticulum in this case seemed to press on the posterior wall of the esophagus.

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.

Total Arch Replacement for a Distal Aortic Arch Aneurysm With Right Aortic Arch

Right-sided aortic arch accompanied by an aberrant origin of the left subclavian artery is rare and seen in 0.05% approximately 0.1% of the population. A 73-year-old woman with this anomaly was admitted to our institution because of the enlargement of the distal aortic arch aneurysm. She also had mild dysphagia. The size of the aneurysm was 70 mm in diameter and she underwent total arch replacement using selective cerebral perfusion through a median sternotomy. Additional right thoracotomy was not required and four cervical vessels were reconstructed. The postoperative course was uneventful. This case report shows median sternotomy alone may provide sufficient access for this pathology.

[Aberrant left subclavian artery associated with Kommerell's diverticulum: chance finding in a 75-year-old patient]

The most common anomaly of the aortic arch is the occurrence of a left aortic arch with an aberrant right subclavian artery. Other, less common anomalies have also been described. These include the occurrence of a right aortic arch with an aberrant left subclavian artery that, in addition, has a diverticulum at its site of origin known as Kommerell's diverticulum. All cases described in the literature have occurred in individuals younger than 35 years of age, generally with symptoms related to tracheal or esophageal compression. We present the case of a patient diagnosed by chance with this rare anomaly at 75 years of age.