Isolated giant aortic arch aneurysm repair in a 13-year-old girl: a case report

BACKGROUND: Aortic arch aneurysm is a very rare condition in children. Surgery is the life saving procedure but it performing might be challenging due to the complex anatomy. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 13-year-old girl who was diagnosed to have an isolated giant aortic arch aneurysm. This girl was referred to our institution with persistent cough as a leading symptom, which started two months ago. Surgery was performed as combined approach: left-sided thoracotomy and midline sternotomy. The left subclavian artery was re-implanted via supraclavicular approach to the left common carotid artery end-to-side anastomosis. Aneurysm was excised after midline sternotomy and initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass under mild hypothermia. Histological evaluation of the wall of the aneurysm revealed no evidence of any specific changes. CONCLUSIONS: The using of the combined method was characterised by a good postoperative surgical results. Pediatricians should be aware of persistent cough in children as a symptom of mediastinal mass of different origin and identity.