title: Intermediate term follow-up of the end-to-side aortic anastomosis for coarctation of the aorta.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Classic techniques for repairing coarctation of the aorta, especially in neonates, have a significant incidence of recurrent obstruction. By connecting the descending aorta to the proximal aortic arch, the end-to-side aortic anastomosis isolates hypoplastic distal arch and encroaching ductal tissue from the anastomotic site.
  
  
  METHODS
  Follow-up data were available for 88 patients (54 male) who underwent an end-to-side aortic anastomosis from November 1992 until November 1999. The median postoperative follow-up was 1.9 years (range, 0.1 to 6.3 years). Fifty-four patients were corrected as neonates. Thirty-four patients were operated on out of the neonatal period (> 1 month of age). A systolic blood pressure gradient > or = 20 mm Hg and a Doppler flow velocity > or = 2.5 ms across the area of repair were considered a recurrent obstruction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No patients in the pediatric group had a recurrent obstruction. In the neonatal group, 3 patients (5.5%) had recurrent obstruction. Of those, 2 patients had a reintervention performed; one reintervention was a balloon angioplasty and the other one was a reoperation. Kaplan-Meier analysis of the neonatal group revealed a 95.8% freedom from reintervention at 1 and 2 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The end-to-side aortic anastomosis is an effective repair for coarctation of the aorta. Even when performed in the neonatal period, recurrence of coarctation is rare.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University of California San Francisco, USA. younosa@ccf.org
authors.forename: Adel K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Younoszai
authors.forename: Vadiyala Mohan
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: Frank L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Brook
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D001017:Aortic Coarctation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation