PARADOXICAL HYPERTENSION AND THE ABDOMINAL PAIN SYNDROME FOLLOWING RESECTION OF COARCTATION OF THE AORTA

Sixteen children with coarctation of the aorta were studied in respect of the incidence of paradoxical hypertension and the abdominal pain syndrome after repair of the coarctation. These postoperative complications were investigated in relation to vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) excretion and extent of operative repair. The results, compared to those in a control group, indicated no evident causal relationship between these complications and catecholamine production. The severity of coarctation, the degree of correction and the operative increase in luminal surface area, however, appeared to be significant factors.