All issues > Volume 45(2); 2002

Case Report

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 2002;45(2):261-266. Published online February 15, 2002.

A Case of Vascular Ring Associated with Tracheitis Due to Type b Haemophilus influenzae

Su Hyun SH Kim¹, Yoon Sook YS Chung¹, Sung Hee SH Oh¹, Nam Su NS Kim¹, Hyuck H Kim²

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Sung Hee SH Oh ,Email: sungheeo@hanyang.ac.kr

Abstract

Vascular ring, originating from abnormal regression of the aortic arch during fetal life, can cause prolonged and recurrent respiratory symptoms and dysphagia when the diagnosis is delayed. We report a 4 month old girl with vascular ring, who had been treated for persistent respiratory symptoms including stridor, wheezing, and dyspnea soon after birth. Initially her respiratory symptoms were thought to be due to bronchiolitis, for which respiratory syncytial virus was confirmed by immunofluorescent staining. Her clinical course was again complicated with tracheitis and pneumonia due to Haemophilus influenzae type b. The possibility of anatomical anomaly was investigated when it was felt to be difficult to insert a suction catheter deep down through a endotracheal tube which was placed for adequate ventilatory management. A three-dimensional chest CT revealed a vascular ring consisting of a double aortic arch. For 5 months following surgery, her respiratory symptoms have slowly been improving. She developed another episode of pneumonia which was milder than the one which occurred before the surgery.

Keywords :Vascular ring, Recurrent respiratory symptoms