Innominate Artery Compression Syndrome

  • Etiology: Innominate artery causes anterior compression of trachea as it enters thoracic inlet
  • Imaging: Anterior compression of trachea
  • DDX:
  • Complications: Tracheomalacia
  • Treatment:
  • Clinical: Can be a cause of stridor

Radiology Cases of Innominate Artery Compression Syndrome

CT of pediatric innominate artery compression syndrome
Axial CT with contrast of the chest (above) shows a normal diameter of the air-filled trachea while on the axial image (middle) the diameter of the trachea is 50% narrowed due to the contrast filled innominate artery coursing anterior to it and compressing it. 3D CT (below) shows the innominate artery (in red) coursing anterior to the trachea (in blue).
CXR of innominate artery compression
Lateral image of the airway shows anterior compression of the mid-trachea by a soft tissue mass.