Aortic Coarctation Repair in Neonates with Intracardiac Defects: The Importance of Preservation of the Lesser Curvature of the Aortic Arch

Background and Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the mid‐term outcomes of a strategy for repair of coarctation of the aorta (CoA) and hypoplastic aortic arch (HAA) with a modified, extended end‐to‐end repair that preserves the lesser curvature of the aortic arch in neonates with intracardiac defects. Methods We studied 21 neonates who underwent CoA repair and remote intracardiac repair (2000–2013). Fifteen patients had HAA, and six patients had no HAA. Follow‐up ranged from 0.4 to 12.8 years (median, 7.5 years), and all patients underwent cardiac catheterization and blood pressure measurement in both the arms and legs. Results The overall median age at the time of CoA repair was seven days and the median age at the time of intracardiac defect repair was 18.6 months. There were no hospital deaths and one case had recoarctation (4.8%). The overall mean pressure gradient at the latest follow‐up was 3.4 ± 5.7 mmHg. Critical deformation of arch geometry was not found. No patient had hypertension or an abnormal arm‐leg gradient. There was no difference in the cardiac catheterization data or blood pressure between patients with and without HAA. Conclusions A modified, extended end‐to‐end repair for CoA and HAA resulted in a low rate of recoarctation, no operative mortality, maintenance of a smooth rounded arch, and normal blood pressures in the arms and legs during mid‐term follow‐up. These results suggest that this technique may be acceptable for repair of CoA and HAA in neonates with intracardiac defects. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12407 (J Card Surg 2014;29:692–697)