Aortic Arch Anomalies

The incidence of coarctation of the aorta (COA) is approximately 36 per 100,000 live births, representing the seventh most common type of congenital heart disease, or approximately 5-7% of patients with congenital heart disease. The incidence of chromosome 22q11 microdeletion is increased in patients with interruption of the aortic arch. The aortic arch is divided into three segments: the proximal arch, the distal arch, and the isthmus. The pathophysiology of COA in the neonate depends on a complex interplay between the severity of aortic narrowing, the rate at which the COA progresses, patency of the ductus arteriosus, pulmonary vascular resistance, and associated cardiac anomalies. The treatment of choice among surgical techniques for COA repair is resection and extended end-to-end anastomosis. Interruption of aortic arch (IAA) is a condition in which there is discontinuity between two adjacent segments of the aortic arch. The survival of newborns with IAA depends on a patent ductus arteriosus.