Introduction:
Pulmonary artery sling (PAS) is a condition in which one of the branch
pulmonary arteries originates from the contralateral sided pulmonary
artery. Pulmonary artery sling was first described by Glaevecke and
Doehle in 1897.1 The disease spectrum ranges from
asymptomatic state to severe life-threatening airway obstruction
requiring high pressure mechanical ventilation, or in extreme cases,
extracorporeal support. A “ring-sling” complex describes when there is
a congenital anomaly of the major airways including complete tracheal
rings with tracheal stenosis and an associated pulmonary artery sling.
Morbidity and mortality are related to the extent of airway involvement
including tracheobronchial stenosis, lung development, genetic, cardiac
comorbidities and the need for intensive care unit admission preceding
the surgery.1,2 In more complex cases with long
segment tracheal stenosis, diagnostic workup and airway surgery may
require a highly specialised complex airway service and
multidisciplinary team approach for optimal
results.3-7