Isolated interrupted aortic arch, a congenital malformation, is very rarely reported in adults. Most adult patients have presented with type A interruption (interruption just beyond the left subclavian artery) and without an associated ventricular septal defect. Conventional surgical repair is typically a challenge because of the extent of collateral circulation in patients who have survived to adulthood. We describe the successful, single-staged, extra-anatomic ventral aortic repair of type A interrupted aortic arch in an 18-year-old man, and we discuss the pathogenesis of the so-called adult form of the condition.
Keywords: Anastomosis, surgical; aorta, thoracic/abnormalities/surgery; collateral circulation; heart defects, congenital/complications; treatment outcome.