Prenatal diagnosis of right aortic arch: associated anomalies and fetal prognosis according to different subtypes

Gizem Elif Dizdaroğulları; Abdullah Alpınar; Oya Demirci

doi:10.1515/jpm-2023-0410

Article

Prenatal diagnosis of right aortic arch: associated anomalies and fetal prognosis according to different subtypes

Gizem Elif Dizdaroğulları , Abdullah Alpınar and Oya Demirci

Published/Copyright: January 29, 2024

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From the journal Journal of Perinatal Medicine Volume 52 Issue 3

Abstract

Objectives

Right aortic arch (RAA) is a rare anomaly with an incidence of 0.1 % in the adult population and low-risk fetuses. Our aim in this study was to evaluate associated anomalies and conditions according to subtypes.

Methods

This was a retrospective study examining consecutive pregnancies diagnosed with RAA in our hospital between 2018 and 2022. Fetuses with RAA were divided into three groups, RAA with right-sided ductus arteriosus (RAA-RDA), RAA with left-sided ductus arteriosus (RAA-LDA), and RAA with a double aortic arch (RAA-DAA).

Results

A total of 81 fetuses were diagnosed as having RAA during the study period. The rate of cardiac anomalies (82.8 %) in the RAA-RDA group was higher than in the RAA-LDA (17.6 %) and RAA-DAA (22.2 %) groups (p<0.001). No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of maternal age, diagnosis week, pregnancy outcome, extracardiac anomalies, and genetic anomalies. Three (8 %) of 36 fetuses with isolated RAA who resulted in live birth developed symptoms related to the vascular ring, and one (2.7 %) newborn with RAA-DAA underwent surgery.

Conclusions

The incidence of cardiac anomalies is high in fetuses with RAA-RDA. Ultrasound examinations should be performed for cardiac anomalies and additional structural anomalies. Vascular ring formation is a rare but important complication due to compression risk to the trachea and esophagus.

Keywords: righ aortic arch; double aortic arch; fetal heart; prenatal diagnosis

Corresponding author: Gizem Elif Dizdaroğulları, Department of Perinatology, Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kırdar City Hospital, Health Science University, Barbaros Mahallesi, Cicekci Bostan Sokak, Mesa Koru Sitesi C7 D8 Altunizade Uskudar, Istanbul, Türkiye, Phone: +9005332497950, E-mail: gizemellif@hotmail.com

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Department of Perinatology, Zeynep Kamil Teaching and Training Hospital for supporting this research.

Research ethics: The study complies with all the relevant national regulations, institutional policies and in accordance the tenets of the Helsinki Declaration, and has been approved by the authors’ Institutional Ethics Committee.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: The authors state no conflicts of interest.
Research funding: None declared.
Data availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

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Received: 2023-10-02

Revised: 2023-11-14

Accepted: 2023-12-23

Published Online: 2024-01-29

Published in Print: 2024-03-25

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2023-0410

Keywords for this article

righ aortic arch; double aortic arch; fetal heart; prenatal diagnosis