Coarctation of the aorta in infants: which operation?

In this series, 178 infants (age, less than or equal to 3 months old) underwent repair of aortic coarctation. Pure coarctation was present in 63 patients (Group 1), 47 infants had additional ventricular septal defects (Group 2), and 68 patients had associated complex heart disease (Group 3). Subclavian flap angioplasty was used in 26 patients, limited resection and end-to-end anastomosis in 45 patients, extended resection and end-to-end anastomosis in 99 patients, and miscellaneous procedures in 8 infants. The early mortality was 8% for the first group, 11% for the second group, and 37% for the third group (p less than 0.001). Mean follow-up was 32 months and included 97% of patients. Actuarial survival at five years was 90% for the first group, 84% for the second group, and 40% for the third group. Recoarctation occurred in 15 operative survivors (11%); 7 necessitated reoperation. Freedom from recoarctation at five years was 89% after subclavian flap angioplasty, 81% after end-to-end anastomosis, and 86% following extended resection and end-to-end anastomosis. Early mortality and late results were not influenced by the type of coarctation repair but were determined by the clinical status and the presence of associated major cardiac anomalies. These results suggest that the surgical procedure should be individualized for each infant to optimize the aortic anatomy.