OBJECTIVE: Eighteen years ago, two young male patients of 8 months and 13 years with aortic coarctation associated to aortic hypoplasia between the left subclavian artery and the coarctated area, were submitted to surgical correction using a new world-pioneering surgical technique developed in our service. METHOD: This technique consists of sectioning the patent ductus arteriosus, followed by resection of all the coarctated tissue in the aortic wall and aortoplasty correction by means of the lengthwise implantation of a pediculated autogenous pericardial flap. This flap is inserted into the thoracic aorta, from the root of the left subclavian artery to 2.0 cm below the coarctated area. RESULTS: For both patients, the blood pressure and arterial pulses of both arms and legs have been normal since the surgery until the present moment. Clinical examination and Doppler evaluation evidenced no pressure gradient between arms and legs, normal blood flow and no pressure gradient through the coarctated area. Both patients were submitted to other evaluations 18 years after surgery, including cardiac and thoracic aortic catheterization followed by aortography. These evaluations demonstrated normal aortic configuration, with normal diameter, including the areas above and below the coarctated site. There was no evidence of any kind of degenerative lesions of the vascularized pericardial flap or re-coarctation of the lesion and no signs of aneurysms forming or the presence of atherosclerosis of the flap. Moreover, and very importantly, it was evident that the pediculated completely vascularized autologous pericardial flap had been kept alive and had grown in diameter as well as in length. CONCLUSION: The surgical technique using a pediculated vascularized autologous pericardial flap is the most complete and adequate for the correction of the different types of simple or complex forms of thoracic aortic coarctation in all age groups, including newborn babies when compared to all the existing techniques.
Aorta; Aortic coarctation; Cardical surgical procedures
