Hypoplasia of the descending thoracic and abdominal aorta: a case report and review of literature

Abstract

Coarctation of the aorta has been found at necropsy in approximately 1 of every 1550 individuals. The most common location for segmental coarctation (juxtaductal) is the attachment of the ductus arteriosus to the thoracic aorta, which accounts for 98% of focal lesions. Less commonly, a relatively long segment of constriction extends beyond the left subclavian artery. When longer segments of the aorta are narrowed, the term "hypoplasia" is often used. Aortic hypoplasia, an exceedingly rare cardiovascular anomaly, has been described in all portions of the thoracic and abdominal aorta. In the current case report, we described a 21-year-old man presenting with severe hypertension in whom the diagnosis of hypoplasia of the descending thoracic and abdominal aorta was made using with magnetic resonance imaging.