Long-term follow-up of percutaneous balloon angioplasty in adult aortic coarctation

Purpose: To assess long-term outcomes following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of congenital aortic coarctation in adults. Methods: Seventeen patients underwent PTA for symptomatic adult coarctation of the aorta. Sixteen patients, with a mean age of 28 years (range 15-60 years), were reviewed at a mean interval after angioplasty of 7.3 years (range 1.5-11 years). Assessment included magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Doppler echocardiography, and clinical examination. Current clinical measurements were compared with pre- and immediate post-angioplasty measurements. Results: At follow-up 16 patients were alive and well. The patient not included in follow-up had undergone surgical repair and excision of the coarctation segment following PTA. Mean brachial systolic blood pressure for the group decreased from 174 mmHg before angioplasty to 130 mmHg at follow-up (p = 0.0001). The mean gradient had fallen significantly from 50.9 to 17.8 at follow-up (p = 0.001). The average number of antihypertensive drugs required per patient decreased from 0.56 to 0.31 (p = 0.234). No significant residual stenoses or restenoses were seen at MRI. Small but clinically insignificant residual pressure gradients were recorded in all patients using Doppler echocardiography. Complications included one transient ischemic attack at 5 days, one external iliac dissection requiring stent insertion, and a further patient who developed a false aneurysm close to the coarctation site at 12 months which subsequently required surgical excision. Conclusion: PTA of adult coarctation is safe and effective in the long term. Although primary stenting has recently been advocated in the treatment of this condition, our results suggest that PTA remains the treatment of choice.