Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Aortic arch birth defects in dogs seen on CT scans
By Schorn, Christiane et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2021·Justus-Liebig University Clinic for Small Animals, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Anomalies of the aortic arch in dogs: evaluation with the use of multidetector computed tomography angiography and proposal of an extended classification scheme.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 21 dogs was found to have a right aortic arch, which can cause compression of the esophagus, leading to symptoms like difficulty swallowing or regurgitation. Most of these dogs also had additional issues, such as an aberrant left subclavian artery. In contrast, 192 other dogs had a left aortic arch without any esophageal compression. The study highlights that while some dogs may show significant vascular anomalies, many can have incidental findings that do not cause clinical problems. Treatment options would depend on the specific symptoms and severity of the condition.
People also search for: dog difficulty swallowing · dog aortic arch anomaly · persistent right aortic arch treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Congenital anomalies of the aortic arch are important as they may be associated with vascular ring anomalies. The most common vascular ring anomaly in dogs is a persistent right aortic arch. However, published data of the distribution of the different types of vascular ring anomalies and other aortic arch anomalies are lacking. The objective of this retrospective descriptive study was to evaluate both the prevalence and the different types of aortic arch anomalies that can be detected using thoracic computed tomography (CT) examination. Archived thoracic CT examinations acquired between 2008 and 2020 at a single institution were retrospectively evaluated by 2 evaluators for the prevalence and type of aortic arch anomaly. Breed, age, and presenting complaint were obtained from the medical record system. RESULTS: A total of 213 CT studies were evaluated; 21 dogs (21/213, 9.9%) showed a right aortic arch and a left ligamentum arteriosum with compression of the esophagus. The following incidental additional findings were detected: aberrant left subclavian artery (17/21, 76.2%), branching from the persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA) (1/21, 4.8%), left-sided brachiocephalic trunk (3/21, 14.3%), bicarotid trunk (17/21, 81.0%), double aortic arch (1/21, 4.8%). One hundred ninety two dogs (192/213, 90.1%) showed a left aortic arch without esophageal compression. The following additional abnormalities were obtained in those dogs with left aortic arch: aberrant right subclavian artery (3/192, 1.6%) without clinical signs of esophageal compression, aberrant vessel branching from the aorta into the left caudal lung lobe (2/192, 1.0%), focal dilatation of the left or right subclavian artery (2/192, 1.0%), bicarotid trunk (1/192, 0.5%). CONCLUSION: Similar to previous studies an aberrant left subclavian artery is the most common additional finding in dogs with persistent right aortic arch. Newly, a left-sided brachiocephalic trunk was identified in 14.3% of the dogs with a persistent right aortic arch; no additional compression was caused by the left sided brachiocephalic trunk. Similarly, aberrant right subclavian artery can be an incidental CT finding without causing compression of the esophagus.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34915887/