Absent femorals

The coarctation of the aorta is a condition resulting in the aorta narrowing near where the ductus arteriosus connects. You can get more information about this at the Wikipedia. Once on the website, type "Coarctation of the aorta" into the search field at the top of the page and press enter to bring up the information.

coarctation of the aorta

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a relatively common defect that accounts for 5-8% of all congenital heart defects. Coarctation of the aorta may occur as an isolated defect or in association with various other lesions, most commonly bicuspid aortic valve and ventricular septal defect (VSD). The diagnosis of coarctation of the aorta may be missed unless an index of suspicion is maintained, and diagnosis is often delayed until the patient develops congestive heart failure (CHF), which is common in infants, or hypertension, which is common in older children.

Surgery is required for infants that have severe coarctation of the aorta or have associated cardiac defects. The average life span of children who have coarctation of the aorta is 34 years of age.