Coarctation of the aorta

At a glance

• A narrowing of the descending aorta, almost always just beyond the left subclavian artery near the ligamentum arteriosum.
• About 5 to 8% of congenital heart disease, twice as common in males. Strongly linked with Turner syndrome and the bicuspid aortic valve.
• In adults it presents as hypertension in a young person, often with headache, epistaxis or cold legs, or is found from a murmur. Many have had repair in childhood and need lifelong follow-up.