Pulmonry artery sling : results of surgical repair in infancy. Discussion

Pulmonary artery sling is a rare congenital vascular anomaly in which the left pulmonary artery originates from the rift pulmonary artery and encircles the right main-stem bronchus and distal trachea before entering the hilum of the left lung. This causes compression of the trachea and right main-stem bronchus, and most infants with this anomaly have severe respiratory distress within the first year of life. Between 1953 and 1990 12 infants (nine male, three female) underwent surgical repair of pulmonary artery sling. Ages ranged from 8 days to 9 months (mean age 5 months)