Surgical repair of left-sided cervical aortic arch aneurysm: Case report and literature review

Cervical aortic arch (CAA) is a rare vascular malformation which sometimes accompanies other cardiovascular malformations. Surgical approaches such as a lateral thoracotomy and a median sternotomy are selected depending on the position and type of aneurysm and other associated malformations. We herein report the case of a CAA patient who was a 38-year-old female and demonstrated an aneurysm between the left common carotid artery and left subclavian artery in addition to the persistence of the left superior vena cava (PLSVC). During surgery, the aortic arch from the distal right brachiocephalic trunk bifurcation to the proximal left subclavian artery bifurcation was replaced with a prosthetic graft to reconstruct the left common carotid artery. The median sternotomy approach was selected. Hypothermic circulatory arrest was performed using a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and anterograde cerebral perfusion was conducted from the brachiocephalic trunk. The patient was discharged from the hospital without any complications 16 days after surgery. Magnetic resonance angiography was useful for diagnosing the precise position of the aneurysm. When encountering an aneurysm associated with the CAA in the transverse aortic arch or PLSVC, the median sternotomy approach is considered the treatment of choice.