Pulmonary Sling

  • Etiology: left pulmonary artery arises from posterior right pulmonary artery
  • Imaging: left pulmonary artery traverses mediastinum from right to left coursing between trachea and esophagus, this can lead to fluid + air trapping of lung
  • UGI: posterior indentation on trachea + anterior indentation on esophagus
  • Clinical: can have associated right lung abnormalities (atelectasis / hypoplasia) and ring sling complex – tracheal ring cartilage + tracheal stenosis

Radiology Cases of Pulmonary Sling

UGI of pulmonary sling
AP (above) and lateral (below) images from an upper GI exam shows right sided and anterior indentations on the esophagus.
Angiogram of pulmonary sling
AP image from a pulmonary angiogram shows the left pulmonary artery arising from the right pulmonary artery.