Congenital abnormalities of the thoracic aorta presenting in the adult.

Congenital variations in the development of the thoracic aorta are common. Although there is a spectrum of disease in all age groups, arch anomalies that present in childhood and those that present in the adult tend to be of differing types. Imaging of the arch and its branches, the descending aorta, and the ductus arteriosus or ligamentum arteriosum define the morphology of the arch and permit a reasonable prediction of accompanying congenital heart disease and/or vascular ring.