Respiratory distress with left aortic arch, right descending aorta, and right ligamentum arteriosum: a case report.

A 7-year-old girl manifested the rare anomaly of a ventricular septal defect (VSD) with left aortic arch, right descending aorta, and right ligamentum arteriosum. After open-heart surgery to correct the VSD, symptoms of tracheal obstruction on spontaneous breathing developed, due to tracheal compression by the right ligamentum arteriosum. The compressed segment of the trachea was found to be thin and unstable following division of the ligamentum. Positive-pressure breathing and continuous positive airway pressure breathing effectively splinted the patient's airway during the postoperative period, with recovery of the patient.