title: Latent congenital defect: interrupted aortic arch in an adult--case report and literature review.
abstract: Interrupted aortic arch (IAA) is rare congenital cardiac defect defined as a complete loss of luminal and anatomical continuity between ascending and descending segments of the aorta. Usually it is detected in the perinatal period or during the first hours or days of infancy. If not treated surgically, it usually is lethal. Nevertheless, diagnosis can be made in adults but is a very rare entity. Extremely few cases in adults are reported in the pertinent medical literature. We present an asymptomatic 62-year-old patient who was found to have IAA after examination for hypertension. The patient underwent a successful anatomical repair, with an uneventful postoperative course, and follow-up examinations reveal regression of hypertension and excellent health condition.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Cardiac Surgery Department, Evangelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece. sakellaridis_t@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakellaridis
authors.forename: Mihalis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Argiriou
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Panagiotakopoulos
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krassas
authors.forename: Orestis
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Argiriou
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Charitos
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D001027:Aortography / Q000379:methods; D001794:Blood Pressure; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents