Aortic Coarctation/Arch Hypoplasia Repair: How Small Is Too Small

Aortic coarctation/arch hypoplasia is a relatively common congenital heart disease that leads to severe cardiovascular complications if left untreated. During the modern era, the mortality of the primary surgical repair is very low but the long-term issues, such as recurrent coarctation/arch reobstruction and hypertension, are still significant challenges. The former is related to the surgical repair performed particularly in the management of the smallish distal aortic arch, and for the latter, despite the "successful" repair of the aortic coarctation, the intrinsic vascular anomaly remains a significant long-term morbidity.