We are the combination of four hospitals: the General Hospital, the Children’s Hospital, the Women’s Hospital and the Traumatology, Rehabilitation and Burns Hospital. We are part of the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus: a world-leading health park where healthcare plays a crucial role.
Below we will list the departments and units that form part of Vall d’Hebron Hospital and the main diseases that we treat. We will also make recommendations based on advice backed up by scientific evidence that has been shown to be effective in guaranteeing well-being and quality of life.
Would you like to know what your stay at Vall d'Hebron will be like? Here you will find all the information.
The commitment of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital to innovation allows us to be at the forefront of medicine, providing first class care adapted to the changing needs of each patient.
Vascular rings, which mainly affect children, are alterations to the position of the large arteries (aorta) which compress neighbouring structures such as the trachea and oesophagus. This anomaly may result in various disorders. The most common include: double aortic arch, pulmonary sling, and right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery.
Anomalies are difficult to detect in less severe cases as infants may not present any symptoms. However, in most instances the child may have:
In the most severe cases, symptoms may appear in the first year of life. There may be difficulty breathing which causes the baby to wheeze or breathe noisily, especially when they cry. If your baby shows this symptom, it is vital to seek advice from experts or professionals who can rule out the presence of vascular rings.
Diagnosis is carried out using tests such as an echocardiogram and a study of the aorta. Suspicions can also be confirmed with a CT angiogram, which will show the precise distribution of the blood vessels and their relationship to other structures such as the trachea and the oesophagus.
This anomaly can only be treated through surgery, which is performed without extracorporeal circulation except in the case of pulmonary slings. The procedure frees the compressed structures by repositioning or dividing the blood vessels causing the compression.
A bronchoscopy is performed as standard to assess the trachea and bronchi during surgery, and any changes are observed after the operation.
Following surgery children can lead a normal life.
By accepting these conditions, you are agreeing to the processing of your personal data for the provision of the services requested through this portal, and, if necessary, for any procedures required by the administrations or public bodies involved in this processing, and their subsequent inclusion in the aforementioned automated file. You may exercise your rights to access, rectification, cancellation or opposition by writing to web@vallhebron.cat, clearly stating the subject as "Exercising of Data Protection Rights". Operated by: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron - Institut Català de la Salut. Purpose: Manage the user’s contact information. Legitimisation: Express acceptance of the privacy policy. Rights: To access, rectify, and delete personal information data, as well to the portability thereof and to limit and/or oppose their use. Source: The interested party themselves.