Surgical versus percutaneous treatment of aortic coarctation: new standards in an era of transcatheter repair

Aortic coarctation is a common congenital cardiovascular defect, which can be diagnosed over a wide range of ages and with varying degrees of severity. Surgery has proven to be an effective treatment for the management of native aortic coarctation, and remains the treatment of choice in neonates. Balloon angioplasty with or without stenting has evolved rapidly over the past decade. Balloon angioplasty is the treatment of choice in children with re-coarctation, and currently available immediate results in native coarctation are similar with regards to gradient reduction as compared with surgery. However, both treatment options carry the risk of restenosis and aortic wall complications, especially after balloon angioplasty without stenting in native coarctation. On the other hand, stent implantation has shown excellent short-term results in both children beyond infancy and in adults with native coarctation. In patients with recurrent coarctation who are at high surgical risk, balloon angioplasty and stent repair offer a less invasive and equally effective method. Stent repair is preferred over balloon angioplasty in adults and outgrown children with a recurrent coarctation, as the risk for re-coarctation and aneurysm formation seems to be lower. Data with regard to long-term outcome after percutaneous treatment strategies are scarce. This review summarizes the current insights in the efficacy and safety of both surgical and transcatheter treatment options for aortic coarctation.