This barium esophagram shows an enlarged esophagus cranial to the heart and an obvious constriction over the base of the heart.

praa5-n Contrast esophagram in a dog with a persistent right aortic arch.

praa5a-n The cranial portion of the esophagus, highlighted in yellow, is dilated.

This is a barium fluoroscopy study done on a dog with persistent right aortic arch. There is mild but apparent dilation of the esophagus cranial to the heart and constriction over the base of the heart. This represents a mild case of PRAA, and this animal is a good candidate for surgery.

This is a barium fluoroscopy study done on another patient. This patient has a more severe condition. Note that the dog is having trouble swallowing the contrast material and that the esophagus is severely dilated. At the time this study was done the dog could not swallow food or water and was being fed intravenously. This esophageal dilation is likely too severe for surgery to have been successful.

In some dogs with PRAA the esophagus will visibly expand when the chest is compressed quickly. Notice the bulge that appears at the front of the neck when the chest compression test is done on this dog.