The aorta is the main artery that sends oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body. Coarctation refers to a narrowing of the aorta, usually found in the descending aorta, which hinders blood flow to the lower half of the body. This forces the left ventricle to work harder to pump blood past the constriction. This leads to an increase in pressure in the left ventricle causing hypertrophy (enlargement) of the ventricle.
Surgical repair is required to correct this heart anomaly and may be done using one of two approaches. The first method, known as an "end-to-end anastomosis", involves cutting out the narrowed portion of the aorta and connecting the two ends together. In the second approach, a patch is used to widen the narrowed portion of the aorta. The patch material may be a blood vessel from the arm (subclavian artery) or synthetic material.
View an animated heart with Coarctation of the Aorta