Balloon expandable stent repair of coarctation of arota: immediate and short term results

ABSTRACT

Balloon angioplasty is widely acceptable as a therapeutic intervention for both native and recurrent coarctation of the aorta, with results that are more comparable to surgery in patients beyond neonatal period.Stent therapy for aortic coarctation has the advantage of the rigid endoprosthesis maintaining the increase in vessel diameter regardless of the intimal injury and opposing the recoil forces. Clinical studies have shown that the stent repair of severe coarctation of aorta provides excellent initial results. We describe our initial experience [immediate and follow up results] of 12 patients [mean age 20.6 +/- 10.2 years] with severe coarctation of the aorta who were treated by Palmaz stent implantation; 3 of them underwent angiographic follow-up studies at one year. Immediately after stent treatment, significant relief was observed in all patients. The peak gradient decreased from a mean of 72mmHg to a mean of 8mmHg - [p <0.001] and the percent stenosis [with regard to descending aorta at diaphragm level] decreased from 66 +/- 15% to 6 +/- 15% [p <0.001]. Our initial experience shows that stent treatment for coarctation of the aorta provides excellent initial and itrmediate term results in patients with discrete coarctation