Pulmonary artery sling

Pulmonary artery sling is a condition where the contralateral sided pulmonary artery serves as the source of one of the branch pulmonary arteries. Pulmonary artery sling was originally written about in 1897 by Glaevecke and Doehle.

Cause
In pulmonary artery sling, the left pulmonary artery anomalously originates from a normally positioned right pulmonary artery. The left pulmonary artery arises anterior to the right main bronchus near its origin from the trachea, courses between the trachea and the esophagus and enters the left hilum.

Treatment
It almost always requires surgical intervention. The surgery is usually open heart surgery with an incision through the sternum.

History
The first known case of pulmonary artery sling was diagnosed and surgically repaired by Willis J. Potts at Lurie Children's Hospital in 1953.