Several authors have reported cases of respiratory distress resulting from bronchial compression due to a hypertensive pulmonary artery in the setting of a large left-to-right shunt. However, respiratory distress due to bilateral main bronchial compression due to an enlarged pulmonary artery suspended posteriorly by the ductal ligament following repair of a ventricular septal defect is extremely rare. In this report, we advocate the necessity of dividing the ductal ligament in some patients with large left-to-right shunts when there are episodes of idiopathic respiratory distress before operation.