The human heart
The human heart
Aortic coarctation
What is it?
Aortic coarctation is a condition in which the aorta is narrowed at the end of the aortic arch. As a result, the left ventricle has to work much harder to pump the blood through the narrowed aorta into the systemic circulation.
How does the defect occur?
This condition is a congenital vascular malformation which can occur either alone or in combination with congenital heart defects. It therefore often occurs even in small children.
How is the defect treated?
A long-term therapeutic solution is a stent – consisting of a wire mesh that can be inserted into blood vessels to expand them permanently. For example, the balloon-expanding growth stent CP Stent from NuMED, which is particularly suitable even for adolescents.
The CP Stent is positioned upon a special balloon catheter (BIB – or balloon-in-balloon catheter). The catheter is inserted into the aorta through a sheath and advanced to the area of the stricture. Inflating (dilating) the balloon results in expansion of the stent, which in turns expands the stenotic vascular wall to the desired diameter. Now the blood can again flow unimpeded. The catheter is removed; the stent remains in the body and can be dilated further as needed using a larger balloon to keep pace with the growth of the body.
