POST-OPERATIVE BLOOD PRESSURES IN COARCTATION OF THE AORTA

Abstract

Post-operative blood pressures were studied in 150 patients from 6 months to 11 years following resection of coarctation of aorta. All of them were under 15 years at the time of operation. Twenty-seven patients were under the age of 1 year at operation and 123 were between 1 and 15 years. Changes in blood pressures in the immediate and late operative period were analysed. The majority of the patients, irrespective of their age at the time of operation, had normal blood pressures in the arms at the last examination. Experimental and clinical evidence from earlier reports and from our own data, suggests that there is usually an adequate growth of the anastomotic site in the aorta even if operation is performed during infancy, and satisfactory results can be obtained with present techniques. In a minority of patients the blood pressure in the arm has remained slightly above the limits of normal, but there has been no progressive rise in blood pressure above the resected site and no evidence indicative of the development of obstruction or restenosis from lack of localized arterial growth.