Aberrant right subclavian artery with atrial septal defect: Simultaneous repair via median sternotomy

INTRODUCTION: Aberrant right subclavian artery, also known as arteria lusoria, is one of the rarer congenital vascular malformations of the left sided aortic arch which arises distal to the left subclavian artery, following a retroesophageal course to the right side causing compression of the trachea or esophagus and resulting in a variety of symptoms most commonly dysphagia. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a case of a two and a half year old child who was diagnosed as having as having an aberrant right subclavian artery with an ostium secundum atrial septal defect and underwent simultaneous repair of both conditions via a median sternotomy. DISCUSSION: Aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) has a prevalence of 1.8 % and most commonly presents in fourth or fifth decade of life. Various surgical approaches have been described to repair this anomaly over the past years, each with its own limitations and complications. However, the median sternotomy approach provides adequate exposure during division and re-implantation of the vessel and simultaneously allows repair of any intra-cardiac defect. CONCLUSION: We believe that the best exposure for the correction of aberrant right subclavian artery is via a median sternotomy, especially in pediatric patients associated with other cardiac anomalies.