Report on Experiments and Clinical Cases ― Three Cases of Retroesophageal Right Subclavian Artery

We have experienced three cases of retroesophageal right subclavian artery. Two cases were cadavers, and one case was a live human. In the two cadavers of a 68-year-old and a 76-year-old, respectively Japanese and European males, the right subclavian artery originated from the aorta after the aorta branched the right carotid artery, the left carotid artery and the left subclavian artery. The right carotid artery immerged solely from the aorta. Where the right subclavian artery originated from the aorta, the artery took a dorsal direction. It passed between the esophagus and the vertebral column. The esophagus was compressed from the dorsal side by the right subclavian artery. The structural anomaly of the right subclavian artery accompanied the cephalad recurrence of the branch from the right vagal nerve toward the larynx. In the live human case, we obtained CT views. The patient was a 41-year-old Japanese, who complained of dysphagia lusoria. We found that the right subclavian artery was anomalous and originated from the aorta as the last cardinal branch in the thorax. (J Nippon Med Sch 2005; 72: 375―382)