Coarctation of the aorta

Summary

First described by Morgagni in 1760, coarctation of the aorta refers to a congenital stenosis of the aorta most commonly seen in the periductal region 11. Oechslin EN. Does a stent cure hypertension. Heart. 2008;94:828-9. Link. There is local arterial medial thickening with superimposed neo-intimal tissue 22. Rao PS. Coarctation of the aorta. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2005;7:425-34. Link. The natural history of the condition is dismal, with death ensuing on average in the fourth decade of life and three quarters of patients dying before their fiftieth birthday 33. Campbell M. Natural history of coarctation of the aorta. Br Heart J. 1970;32:633-40. Link. The most common modes of death are congestive cardiac failure, rupture of the aorta, endocarditis and intra-cranial haemorrhage 3, 43. Campbell M. Natural history of coarctation of the aorta. Br Heart J. 1970;32:633-40. Link4. Hoimyr H, Christensen TD, Emmertsen K, Johnsen SP, Riis A, Hansen OK, Hjortdal VE. Surgical repair of coarctation of the aorta: up to 40 years of follow-up. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2006;30:910-6. Link.

The first surgical repair of isolated coarctation was undertaken in 1944 55. Crafoord C,...