The congenital cardiovascular anomalies of the interruption of the aorta-Steidel's complex

Abstract Interruption of the aorta is a very rare congenital anomaly. The third case in a living adult has been reported here with a brief review of the clinicopathological data concerning living patients reported in the literature. According to the site of the interruption of the aortic arch, three basic types of absence of the aortic arch are recognized. In the majority of patients, the interruption of the aorta is associated with the presence of VSD, patent ductus arteriosus, and atrial septal defect. Other cardiovascular abnormalities are transposition of aorta, aortic stenosis, and so on. We have briefly speculated on why the majority of patients with “Steidele's anomaly” die early in life and very few survive for long periods. The case reported here is one of the very rare cases of “Steidele's complex” in a living adult.