Description
This specimen is an excised aortic coarctation - the lumen is only 2 mm in diameter. The distal
portion is dilated (post-stenotic dilatation).
History
This man presented at the age of 19 with a chest infection. The presence of a coarctation
was noted although he had no symptoms attributable to this. Arterial pulsation was apparent in the
neck; the femoral pulses were barely palpable. There was a harsh aortic diastolic murmur present
and radiologically there was notching of the ribs on each side of the chest. The lesion was
successfully excised.