Monitoring

Patients with coarctation of the aorta require life-long follow-up with a cardiologist experienced in congenital heart disease.​[16][51]​​​​ While frequency should be individualized to the individual patient's repair and their clinical status, there are published guidelines to guide the frequency of follow-up and testing.[20] Particular attention should be paid to the potential for ongoing hypertension, recoarctation requiring reintervention, cerebral aneurysm, aortic pseudoaneurysm, and dissection. Neurodevelopmental surveillance and screening is also important when caring for these patients particularly if they had repair in infancy.[52]

Upper and lower extremity blood pressures should be measured at every clinic visit.

Periodic echocardiograms (every 1-3 years) should be performed to assess the possibility of recoarctation or aneurysm formation. In older children and adults, echocardiographic windows are often not adequate to fully assess the aortic vasculature. In these cases, follow-up imaging with computed tomography angiography or contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging allows assessment of the aortic vasculature in great detail and facilitates planning for any necessary surgical or catheter-based interventions.[23][47]

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