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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2023; 33(01): 117-120
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1758194
Case Report

An Aberrant Right Subclavian Artery–Esophageal Fistula—A Fatal Complication of a Common Anomaly: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Pavithra C. Subramanian
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
,
Naveen Chidanandaswamy
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
,
Raghuraman Soundararajan
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
,
Harish Bhujade
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
,
Nidhi Prabhakar
1   Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
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Abstract

An aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA), also called as arteria lusoria, is one of the most common aortic arch anomalies. ARSA–esophageal fistula is a rare, life-threatening complication, with only 37 cases reported in literature. We describe a case of a young girl who developed acute episode of massive hematemesis after the recovery from novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Computed tomography (CT) angiography showed ARSA with retroesophageal course and active contrast leak in esophagus. Digital subtraction angiography confirmed the site of active contrast extravasation from the ARSA. However, the patient succumbed to hypovolemic shock even before the endovascular or surgical interventions could be done.

Keywords

ARSA - aberrant right subclavian artery - esophageal bleeding - nasogastric tube

Authors' Contributions

Conception and design, acquisition of data, and analysis and interpretation of data: P.C.S., N.C., R.S., H.B., and N.P.

Literature search, drafting the manuscript, and revising it critically for important intellectual content: R.S., H.B., N.P., and N.C.

Manuscript editing and final approval of the versions to be published: H.B., N.P., and R.S.




Publication History

Article published online:
24 November 2022

© 2022. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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