HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Timothy Boyd Cartmill Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Narasinga Rao, P. Articles by Mrutyunjaya Rao, I. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Narasinga Rao, P. Articles by Mrutyunjaya Rao, I. Related Collections Congenital - acyanotic Great vessels

Coarctation of the Aorta in Neonates And Young Infants: Surgical Experience

Department of Cardiac Surgery 1 Department of Cardiology 2 Department of Cardiac Anaesthesia Al Mafraq Hospital Abu Dhabi UAE
For reprint information contact: Ivatury Mrutyunjaya Rao, MCh Tel: 971 2 582 3100 Fax: 971 2 582 1549 email: imrao{at}emirates.net.ae Department of Cardiac Surgery, Al Mafraq Hospital, P.O. Box 2951, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

A retrospective analysis of repair of aortic coarctation in young infants was conducted. Between April 1997 and December 2000, 21 patients under 4 months of age underwent repair of coarctation. Their mean age and weight were 41 ± 42 days (range, 2 to 120 days) and 3.6 ± 0.7 kg (range, 2.6 to 4.9 kg). The indications for surgery were congestive heart failure and/or shock. Diagnosis was made by 2-dimensional echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging. Preoperative gradients ranged from 25 to 100 mm Hg. Aortic arch hypoplasia was present in 8 patients; 7 patients also had ventricular septal defect. Wide excision of the coarctation segment with extended end-to-end anastomosis was performed in 20 patients, while 1 required a Gore-Tex interposition graft between the left common carotid artery and the descending aorta. Subclavian angioplasty was performed to augment the anastomosis in 1 patient. There was no early mortality. One patient died 2 months after surgery. Follow-up examination revealed recoarctation in 5 patients (23.8%), all of whom underwent successful balloon dilatation. In conclusion, wider excision of the coarctation with extended end-to-end anastomosis reduces the chances of recoarctation. Percutaneous balloon angioplasty for treating recoarctation is effective in immediately reducing pressure gradients.