[Severe tracheo-bronchial compression caused by a circumflex aorta. Apropos of 3 cases treated by aortic uncrossing].

The cases of three children with an encircling right aortic arch and left sided descending aorta illustrate the fact that this rare abnormality may cause severe compression of the tracheo-bronchial axis. A ventricular septal defect was associated to the abnormal vascular arch in all three cases. The compressive structure was the aorta and these children could only be extubated after surgical uncrossing . Before diagnosing tracheomalacia in a child operated for an abnormal vascular arch, residual compression must be excluded by tracheo-bronchial fibroscopy.