DYSPHAGIA LUSORIA - EXTRATHORACIC SURGICAL-MANAGEMENT

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of dysphagia lusoria managed by an extrath oracic approach. DESIGN: Case report and literature review. SETTING: A university hospital. PATIENT: A 39-year-old man, who presented with w eight loss and dysphagia. Aortography and computed tomography revealed an aberrant subclavian artery compressing the esophagus against the a ortic arch. INTERVENTION: The right subclavian artery was divided at i ts origin and reimplanted onto the right carotid artery. The operation was performed through a right supraclavicular incision without openin g the chest. RESULTS: There was no operative morbidity. Six months pos toperatively the patient was asymptomatic and had gained weight. There vas no radiologic evidence of esophageal compression. CONCLUSIONS: Ba sed on the results of our case of dysphagia lusoria and the reports of others that have started to appear in the literature, consideration s hould be given to repairing a symptomatic, nonaneurysmal aberrant righ t subclavian artery through an extrathoracic approach.