Can you exercise with coarctation of the aorta?
Patients with coarctation of the aorta and hypertension who are awaiting surgical repair should limit heavy isometric exercises to a degree commensurate with the degree of hypertension.
How do you fix coarctation of the aorta?
Your doctor might treat your coarctation by cutting across the narrowed area of the aorta and then attaching a patch of synthetic material to widen the blood vessel. Patch aortoplasty is useful if the coarctation involves a long segment of the aorta.
What is mild coarctation?
Coarctation (pronounced koh-ark-TEY-shun) of the aorta is a birth defect in which a part of the aorta, the tube that carries oxygen-rich blood to the body, is narrower than usual.
What can happen if the coarctation is not repaired?
If not treated, it can lead to coronary artery disease, kidneys not working well, high blood pressure in the upper body and low blood pressure in the lower body, and even death. COA can be fixed by cardiac catheterization or surgery.
Can you live with coarctation of aorta?
Conclusion: Surgical repair of aortic coarctation is a relatively safe surgery, however patients maintain risks of arterial hypertension, re-coarctation and mortality at long term. Nevertheless, patients report a quality of life that is no different than healthy population.
Is coarctation of the aorta a heart disease?
Coarctation of the aorta is often considered a critical congenital heart defect (critical CHD) because if the narrowing is severe enough and it is not diagnosed, the baby may have serious problems soon after birth. CCHDs also can be detected with newborn pulse oximetry screening.
How is balloon angioplasty used to treat aortic coarctation?
This procedure may be used as a first treatment for aortic coarctation instead of surgery, or it may be done if narrowing occurs again after coarctation surgery. During balloon angioplasty, your doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube (catheter) into an artery in your groin and threads it through your blood vessels to your heart using X-ray imaging.
Where does the coarctation of the aorta occur?
While aortic coarctation most commonly occurs as a discrete stenosis in the juxtaductal position, it may also be associated with long segment narrowing, hypoplasia of the transverse aortic arch, or stenosis of the abdominal aorta[2-4].
Can a CT angiogram tell if you have coarctation of the aorta?
A CT angiogram allows your doctor to see the location and severity of the coarctation of the aorta, determine whether it affects other blood vessels in your body, and detect other heart defects. Your doctor may also use this test to determine your treatment options.
Who was the first person to repair aortic coarctation?
Crafoord was the first to perform a successful surgical repair of aortic coarctation in 1944[12]. Since then, various surgical and transcatheter approaches have been developed, allowing patients to have significantly improved outcomes.