[Coarctation of the aorta. In infancy (author's transl)].

We review our experience in 38 patients with coarctation of the aorta during infancy. Cardiac failure was present in 30 patients, being the maximal incidence during the first and second weeks of the life. Sixteen infants died, 43% of them during the first week. Cardiac catherization and angiocardiography were performed in 22 infants. The coarctation of the aorta was isolated in 38 infants (36%). The most frequently associated malformations were: patent ductus arteriosus (6 cases), ventricular septal defect (5 cases) and the pathology of the left heart. The post mortem examination was performed in 11 infants; in all of them the CoAo was preductal with patent ductus arteriosus; the most frequently associated malformation was ventricular septal defect (6 cases). 5 infants were operated upon with succes during the first year of the life.