HIGH-LEVEL CROSS OF THE ESOPHAGUS WITH THE DESCENDING AORTA IN SCOLIOSIS - CT STUDY

Objective: The esophagus occasionally crosses the descending aorta at an unusually high level (3-5 cm inferior to the carina) in right-sided scoliosis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mechanism of this finding. Materials and Methods: We prospectively evaluated thorac ic CT scans in 30 patients with right-sided scoliosis. We assessed the alterations in the positions of the esophagus and the descending aort a by the thoracic deformity. Results: The descending aorta followed th e scoliotic curve of the spine in 26 (87%) patients. The esophagus fol lowed the scoliotic curve of the spine in 14 (47%) patients and did no t in 16 (53%). The anteroposterior diameter of the thorax in the forme r group was significantly smaller than that in the latter (p < 0.01). High level cross of both structures was identified in 14 (47%) patient s, and all of them belonged to the group in which the esophagus did no t follow the scoliotic curve of the spine. Conclusion: The unusual hig h level cross of the esophagus with the descending aorta occasionally seen in scoliosis is due to a difference in the positional alterations of the two structures resulting from the scoliosis.