Aberrant Subclavian Artery

Aberrant subclavian artery is a rare vascular anomaly that is present from birth. It usually causes no symptoms and is often discovered as an incidental finding (such as through a barium swallow or echocardiogram). Occasionally the anomaly causes swallowing difficulty (dysphagia lusoria). Swallowing symptoms in children may present as feeding difficulty and/or recurrent respiratory tract infection. When aberrant subclavian artery causes no symptoms, treatment is not needed. If the anomaly is causing significant symptoms, treatment may involve surgery. Children with symptomatic aberrant subclavian artery should be carefully evaluated for additional vascular and heart anomalies.