aortic coartation in children

Congenital left ventricular outflow obstruction represents a multilevel obstruction with several morphological forms. It can involve the subvalvular, valvar, or supravalvular portion of the aortic valve complex, and may coexist. Computed tomography (CT) plays an important supplementary role in the evaluation of patients with congenital LVOT obstruction. Unlike transthoracic echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, it is not bounded by a small acoustic window, needs for anaesthesia or sedation, and metallic devices...

Five clinical cases were treated with the implantation of an apical-aortic conduit. Two adult patients were affected by obstructive myocardiopathy associated to subaortic membrane in one case, and three children by different forms of aortic stenosis (subaortic tunnel in one case; subaortic tunnel associated to severe coartation of the thoracic aorta in one case; aortic annulus hypoplasia in one case). A double outlet left ventricle has been created in all cases by implanting a composite prosthesis between the apex by implanting a composite prosthesis between the apex of the left ventricle and the aorta...