Coartaction of the Aorta

AO: Aorta
PA: Pulmonary Artery

Please note: Only an enlarged view of the aorta and pulmonary artery are shown in this drawing. The rest of the heart is not shown.

Frequently, the aortic valve is also abnormal when the diagnosis of coarctation is made. However, this particular lesion will not be discussed at present.

There are various forms of coarctation, which is narrowing of either a long or a short segment anywhere along the aorta. It may occur anywhere within the chest or abdomen, although it most commonly occurs in the fashion shown in the diagram. Once again, when a coarctation is diagnosed in a given patient depends on the degree of narrowing and where the coarctation is located along the aorta.

Coarctation is an “obstructive lesion”, as it prohibits flow to the areas beyond the area of narrowing. Because flow cannot get beyond the area of narrowing, the blood pressure builds up in the area before the narrowing. The flow and pressure beyond the narrowing is decreased, meaning that the areas that are served by the lower aorta, such as the kidneys, may not be receiving the appropriate amount of blood.

Coarctation may be repaired in the cardiac catheterization lab, or by surgery.