[Results of surgical treatment of aortic coarctations in the 1st 6 months of life. Apropos of 142 cases].

142 infants under 6 months of age were operated on for coarctation of the aorta from 1972 to 1978. Coarctation was isolated in 46 (32.4%) and associated with another heart defect in 96. Surgery was decided upon because of congestive heart failure sometimes associated with arterial hypertension refractory to medical treatment: 9 patients died during surgery. 89 underwent Crafoord's operation and in 44 ligature of the subclavian artery or aortoplasty using the subclavia were carried out. Early postoperative death rate was 30.9% and 13 patients (13.2%) died later. Recoarctations occurred in 25 patients (27%); more than half of these patients were less than 1 month-old at the time of surgery. Recoarctation was more frequent (46.4%) in cases with than in cases without (18.7%) aortic hypoplasia and it was more severe (5 out of 7 deaths) when there was an associated cerclage resulting in a double obstacle to right and left ventricles ejection.