What is a vascular ring?
A vascular ring is a ring of vessels that surrounds the trachea. This may be caused by a right-sided aortic arch with an aberrant left subclavian artery, with the ring completed by the ligamentum arteriosum. A double aortic arch is also a cause of a vascular ring.
Vascular rings may present with stridor and can be misdiagnosed as asthma, croup, or other conditions. Attention to the appearance of the aortic arch on chest radiographs may suggest the diagnosis.
