Abnormalities seen in the great arteries view

In right aortic arch the aorta remains on the right side of the trachea. The branching pattern is a mirror image to that of a left arch, but in about 25% of cases there is an aberrant left subclavian artery. In right aortic arch there is a ‘U’ shape in the ‘three-vessel view’ due to a left sided arterial duct connecting with the descending aorta behind the trachea.

Prevalence

This defect is found in about 1 in 1000 live births.

Other abnormalities

This defect is associated with 22q11.2 deletion, especially in cases with low thymic-thoracic ratio.

Prognosis

Right aortic arch is often of no clinical significance. However, a symptomatic vascular ring may occur in childhood.