MRCP UK EXAMINATIONS

Detailed explanation-1: -Definition. Coarctation of the aorta is an obstructing shelf‐like lesion arising from the posterolateral aortic wall opposite the aortic end of the ductus arteriosus or ligamentum arteriosum as a result of localized thickening of the aortic media protruding into the vessel lumen.

Detailed explanation-2: -Coarctation of the aorta can affect any part of the aorta, but it’s most often located near a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus. That blood vessel connects the left pulmonary artery to the aorta.

Detailed explanation-3: -Preductal coarctation results when an intracardiac anomaly during fetal life decreases blood flow through the left side of the heart, leading to hypoplastic development of the aorta. This is the type seen in approximately 5% of infants with Turner syndrome.

Detailed explanation-4: -Coarctation of the aorta is a localized narrowing of the lumen, typically in the proximal thoracic aorta just beyond the left subclavian artery and before the opening of the ductus arteriosus.