Coarctation of the aorta
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Date: 2022-01-19

Coarctation of the aorta, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=1010090 / CC BY SA 3.0

#Congenital_vascular_defects
#Diseases_of_the_aorta
Coarctation of the aorta （CoA or CoAo）, also called aortic narrowing, is a congenital condition whereby the aorta is narrow, usually in the area where the ductus arteriosus （ligamentum arteriosum after regression） inserts.
The word coarctation means "pressing or drawing together; narrowing".
Coarctations are most common in the aortic arch.
The arch may be small in babies with coarctations.
Other heart defects may also occur when coarctation is present, typically occurring on the left side of the heart.
When a patient has a coarctation, the left ventricle has to work harder.
Since the aorta is narrowed, the left ventricle must generate a much higher pressure than normal in order to force enough blood through the aorta to deliver blood to the lower part of the body.
If the narrowing is severe enough, the left ventricle may not be strong enough to push blood through the coarctation, thus resulting in a lack of blood to the lower half of the body.
Physiologically its complete form is manifested as interrupted aortic arch.
Illustration showing a heart with a coarctation of the aorta Sketch showing heart with coarctation of the aorta.
A: Coarctation （narrowing） of the aorta.
1:Inferior vena cava, 2:Right pulmonary veins, 3: Right pulmonary artery, 4:Superior vena cava, 5:Left pulmonary artery, 6:Left pulmonary veins, 7:Right ventricle,
8:Left ventricle, 9:Pulmonary artery, 10:Aorta Schematic drawing of alternative locations of coarctation of the aorta, relative to the ductus arteriosus.
A: Ductal coarctation, B: Preductal coarctation, C: Postductal coarctation.
1: Aorta ascendens, 2: Arteria pulmonalis, 3: Ductus arteriosus, 4: Aorta descendens, 5: Truncus brachiocephalicus, 6: Arteria carotis communis sinistra, 7: Arteria subclavia
sinistra 3D model of coarctation of aorta There are three types of aortic coarctations: Pred...