Endovascular Treatment of Long-Term Complications Following Surgical Repair of Aortic Coarctation

Surgical treatment of aortic coarctation has a high success rate. However, irrespective of the surgical technique used, a significant percentage of patients develop late complications affecting the aortic wall. Reoperation to repair these complications is a complex procedure and is associated with high mortality. Recently an endovascular approach has been proposed as a promising alternative for managing these patients. Here we report a series of four patients, three of whom had an aortic aneurysm, while one had recoarctation several years after undergoing aortic coarctation surgery. All successfully underwent endovascular treatment, without complications. We describe our experience with this complex procedure and discuss a number of associated technical considerations, including vascular access, occlusion of the supraaortic arteries, and the use of intravascular ultrasound.