Aortic coarctation is a birth defect that causes a narrowing of the aorta, a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When this condition occurs, blood flow to the lower part of the body is restricted, causing problems in blood circulation to organs such as the kidneys. The restricted blood vessel can also cause high blood pressure in the arteries that branch out from the aorta, including those in the arms and brain. This may increase risk for a stroke.
The left ventricle — one of the four chambers of the heart — may become swollen and weak due to the strain, causing one or more chambers of the heart to fail to keep up with the volume of blood flowing through them. This may result in congestive heart failure.
Mild cases of aortic coarctation may not produce symptoms until later in life. In babies with severe cases, however, signs and symptoms typically appear shortly after birth. The symptoms include:
Older children with aortic coarctation tend to have less severe narrowing of the aorta; thus, they often don't have symptoms. Your child's doctor may suspect a problem if he or she hears a distinctive murmur in your child's heart or if your child has high blood pressure in the arms and low pressure in the legs.
To diagnose aortic coarctation, your child's doctor will conduct a thorough examination. The doctor may recommend certain tests to make a definite diagnosis and rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms. Tests may include:
In the past, aortic coarctation repair involved heart surgery followed by five to seven days in the hospital for recovery. Today, heart specialists correct coarctation in many patients without surgery using a procedure called cardiac catheterization, which involves threading a thin, flexible tube through a blood vessel to insert a specially designed stent, a small metal mesh tube.
The catheterization and stent placement is performed in our Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. The procedure takes about three to four hours. Your child will be admitted to the hospital the morning of the procedure and may return home the following morning.
To perform cardiac catheterization, a tiny incision is made in the groin to insert thin, flexible tubes, called catheters. The catheters are directed through blood vessels to the heart. Catheters can carry very small instruments or repair devices, such as a stent.
Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.
Last updated
June 17, 2010
Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
505 Parnassus Ave., Suite M1231
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415) 353-2008
Fax: (415) 353-8711
Appointment information