A POSTOPERATIVE FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF INFANTILE COARCTATION OF THE AORTA

Follow-up investigations were performed in 16 patients operated on for coarctation during infancy. The follow-up period ranged from 4.5 to 1 1 years (median 5.5 years). Four different surgical techniques were us ed: resection with end-to-end anastomosis (REE) (4 patients), subclavi an flap aortoplasty (SFA) (10 patients), patch aortoplasty (1 patient) and resection and SFA (1 patient). One patient developed recoarctatio n (6%). She had been operated on by REE at 7 days of age. The other th ree patients operated on by REE had equal pulses in the arms and legs; none had hypertension and all had normal arm/leg pressure gradients a t rest. Seven (58%) of the 12 patients operated on by SFA or aortoplas ty had weak radial pulses in the left arm but no limitation of left ar m function. The left arm showed a normal bone age but was smaller and shorter than the right arm in 9 (81%) the patients operated on by SFA had hypertension and the arm/leg gradient at rest was normal.