Pulmonary artery sling: An uncommon cause of stridor

J Pediatr Intensive Care. 2012 Sep;1(3):173-177. doi: 10.3233/PIC-2012-029.

Abstract

Pulmonary artery sling is a rare congenital condition often associated with congenital tracheal stenosis. Untreated pulmonary sling carries a high morbidity and mortality, most of which is due to the airway and other associated anomalies rather than the aberrant artery itself. We report the case of an infant presenting progressive respiratory distress after a viral infection. The workup revealed a left pulmonary sling with concomitant tracheal stenosis. This anomaly was successfully corrected by slide tracheoplasty and left pulmonary artery reinsertion. Conclusion pulmonary artery sling is a rare entity with a nonspecific clinical presentation, a high degree of clinical suspicion is needed in order to obtain the correct diagnosis.

Keywords: Pulmonary artery sling; respiratory failure; slide tracheoplasty; stridor.