Aortic dissection fifteen years after surgical repair of aortic coarctation.

A case of fatal dissection of the aorta fifteen years following successful surgical repair of aortic coarctation is reported. Histologic secretions of the wall of the proximal aortic segment showed significant thickening and degenerative changes in the media which were not present in the distal aortic segment. This suggests that irreversible structural changes may have occurred prior to surgical repair of the coarctation and supports the view that early surgical repair of this condition is desirable.