This report presents the 14th published occurrence of cervical aortic arch and presumably the first to be recognized clinically. Based on a review of the pertinent features of these 14 cases, the criteria for cervical aortic arch "syndrome" are not only the cervical position of the apex of the arch but also the anomalous origin of arch branches as well as the anomalous course of descending thoracic aorta. The apex of an "unwound" aorta, or pseudocoarctation, may reach into the neck region but lacks the other criteria for cervical aortic arch complex. Obliteration or diminution in femoral pulses during brief compression of the pulsatile neck mass is specific for cervical aortic arch.
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