[Aortic coarctation and pregnancy. Apropos of 3 cases followed-up during a period of 10 years].

Classically, coarctation of the aorta is poorly tolerated during pregnancy or at least is associated with a risk of rupture of the aorta, rupture of a cerebral aneurysm or, more rarely, cardiac failure or bacterial infection. The authors turned their attention to this association of coarctation of the aorta and pregnancy in the light of 3 cases of pregnancy brought to term in the Department of Cardiology of the Ibn Rochd Teaching Hospital Group, Casablanca, Morocco. During a 10 year period, 20 patients were hospitalised in the department with coarctation of the aorta. There were 10 women, 3 of them pregnant. The mean age of these women was 26, with a range of 24 to 30. All patients had a normal pregnancy, delivery and post-partum, with neither cardiovascular, renal nor cerebral complications. There were no maternal deaths, ruptures of the aorta, cerebrovascular accidents, bacterial infections nor myocardial failure. All the pregnancies were brought to term. One patient was delivered vaginally with the use of forceps after full dilatation facilitating expulsion. One cesarean section with extraction of a live infant was induced at 38 weeks. One patient was lost to follow-up at 7 months and was seen again only after delivery at home, i.e. without supervision but equally without complications. The 3 newborn infants had an Apgar of 10/10 and a birth weight of 3.2-3.5 kilos. There were no spontaneous abortions and no premature deliveries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)