Cervical aortic arch

A rare, congenital anomaly of the great arteries characterized by cranially situated aortic arch ascending into the neck above the clavicles. Most patients remain asymptomatic, some present with a murmur and a pulsatile neck mass, stridor, dyspnea, recurrent bronchitis, dysphagia or signs and symptoms of a stenosis/aneurism of the aortic arch. Other congenital heart anomalies are frequently associated, including abnormalities of arch laterality and branching, aortic coarctation or aneurysm.