Double Aortic Arch Anomaly Mimicking Asthma and Laryngomalacia: Two Case Reports

Abstract

This report describes two patients (a 7-year-old boy and a 3-month-old boy) who have had chronic and recurrent respiratory distress and wheezing episodes since infancy. The elder one had been treated for hyper-reactive airway disease and asthma, and the other had been diagnosed with laryngomalacia. The problems had been associated with cyanosis and did not improve with routine treatment; therefore, we considered other underlying diseases, such as cardiovascular problems. The diagnostic workups revealed the “double aortic arch” which had not been diagnosed previously.

Keywords

• Aortic arch
• Asthma
• Laryngomalacia
• Respiratory distress