We report a case of fetal nuchal cystic hygroma associated with aortic coarctation and trisomy 21. A stillborn baby, delivered at 15 weeks and 5 days of gestation, had a huge nuchal cystic hygroma. Autopsy revealed aortic coarctation of the periductal type with patent ductus arteriosus, endocardial cushion defect and left ventricular hypoplasia. Trisomy 21 was evident by karyotyping. Macroscopi...

Surgical palliation for aortic coarctation with aortic arch hypoplasia in neonates and infants has been used in the clinic as the most beneficial treatment for this disorder. This technique allows the correction of aortic coarctation by the use of "extended" anastomosis without cardiopulmonary bypass, which expands the hypoplastic distal aortic arch via the use of a reverse subclavian flap repa...

Aortic coarctation is usually diagnosed and repaired in childhood and early adulthood. Survival of a patient with an uncorrected coarctation to more than 70 years of age is extremely unusual, and management strategies for these cases remain controversial. We present a case of a 75-year-old woman who was first diagnosed with aortic coarctation and severe aortic valve stenosis 5 years ago and who...

The ideal surgical approach is unclear in adult patients with coarctation of the aorta that is associated with other cardiovascular pathologies that require intervention. Standard median sternotomy allows simultaneous, coronary revascularization surgery, valve replacement and repair of aortic coarctation. However the collateral circulation and the anatomy of the mammary arteries must be determi...

Aortic coarctation is a congenital malformation of the aorta usually diagnosed and corrected early in life. Long-term survival is exceptional in patients with untreated aortic coarctation. In this case report, we present a late diagnosis of aortic coarctation in a 72-year-old female. Our patient was relatively asymptomatic until she presented with exertional dyspnea and fatigue in her seventh d...

BACKGROUND Balloon angioplasty of coarctation of the aorta is an effective method of treatment but is complicated by tearing of the aortic intima, formation of aneurysms, and restenosis. Stent placement at the time of balloon dilation could prevent restenosis and could also prevent progression of intimal tears to aneurysms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of balloon di...

OBJECTIVES The study sought to determine the outcome of pregnancy in women with coarctation of the thoracic aorta. BACKGROUND Patients with coarctation of the thoracic aorta are expected to reach childbearing age, but data on the outcome of pregnancy in this population are limited. METHODS The Mayo Clinic database was reviewed for women of childbearing age (> or =16 years old) with a diagno...

Postexercise arm-to-leg blood pressure gradients were measured in 31 patients to determine the effectiveness of two surgical techniques for treating coarctation of the aorta. The arm-to-leg postexercise mean systolic blood pressure gradient was 29 mm Hg lower in 13 patients treated with Dacron patch angioplasty than in 18 patients whose coarctation was resected (p less than 0.01). Some patients...

Long-term follow-up of adult patients after surgical intervention for aortic coarctation has been associated with systemic arterial hypertension, recoarctation, and progressive aortic and/or mitral valve disease from congenital abnormalities (1). Increased morbidity and shortened life span have resulted from aneurysms at the site of previous coarctation repair; aneurysm rupture at the circle of...