The following case demonstrates a well-known complication late after surgical repair of aortic coarctation. A 43-year-old male patient was invited to our outpatient clinic for routine follow-up investigation in the setting of a postcoarctectomy surveillance programme. Previous surgical repair consisted of Dacron patch aortoplasty, performed at the age of 18. Since then, no complications had occurred. He was asymptomatic and no routine cardiologist’s follow-up controls had taken place during the past five years. Clinical investigation was normal. By means of contrast magnetic resonance imaging a true aneurysm was found at the distal aortic arch with a cross-sectional diameter of 7 cm (figure 1).
Figure 1
Sagital oblique contrast-enhanced 3D-surface rendered magnetic resonance angiogram of a 43-year-old patient, in whom coarctation repair was performed by Dacron patch aortoplasty at the age of 18. An aneurysm of approximately 7 cm was detected at the site of coarctation repair.
