Innominate artery compression of the trachea: an unusual cause of apnea in a 12-year-old boy.

Innominate artery compression of the trachea is a common cause of airway obstruction in infants and young children. The clinical significance of this lesion, even when compression is documented endoscopically or radiographically, is controversial. Obstructive respiratory symptoms occur in only a fraction of such cases, and symptomatic patients are most commonly detected in the first year of life. We present a case of a 12-year-old boy with a chief complaint of progressive stridor and apnea who was diagnosed with symptomatic innominate artery compression of the trachea. We reviewed the literature regarding the pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of this condition.