The presentation of a double aortic arch in adulthood in association with congestive heart failure attributed to a previously silent aortic regurgitation.

This paper describes an adult case of a double aortic arch (DAA; Edwards type IA). The patient had been asymptomatic for DAA but presented difficulty in swallowing in association with congestive heart failure, which she experienced as the result of attending to her sick husband while she apparently suffered from a silent aortic regurgitation. The symptoms disappeared and the patient recovered from heart failure following medical treatment. The patient soon discontinued the outpatient treatment and, after 2 years, the identical symptoms recurred under similar circumstances. In this paper we demonstrate that an asymptomatic case of DAA has the potential to clinically manifest itself.