Two-staged surgical treatment for Kommerell diverticulum with a right aortic arch and an aberrant left subclavian artery

Kommerell diverticulum (KD) is an aneurysm of the orifice of an aberrant subclavian artery (SCA) from the descending aorta or aortic arch. We have performed two-staged surgical strategy for the treatment of KD with right aortic arch. The first step was the bypass grafting between the left common carotid artery and the aberrant left SCA with occlusion of the distal side of KD with the plug. The second step was the descending aorta replacement through the right thoracotomy. Four patients underwent these operations. No hospital deaths or major complications were observed. All four patients were discharged and have been alive for 1–6 years without any health problems. Two of four patients had symptoms of dysphagia preoperatively, and it resolved postoperatively in both patients. No hoarseness occurred after surgery, and 1–6 years of CT observation showed no recanalization of the vascular plug.