Complicated coarctation repair: The importance of three-dimensional cross-sectional imaging in late postoperative assessment

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) represents 5%-8% of congenital heart disease patients and is one of the most common causes of neonatal surgical intervention. These patients require close lifelong follow-up due to frequent long-term complications. Although transthoracic echocardiography is the first-line technique for its diagnosis and follow-up, cross-sectional imaging with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) gives excellent anatomical and functional information, especially in complex CoA. We present the case of a 17-year-old patient who underwent complicated neonatal CoA repair and demonstrate how CMR and thorough operative records helped to define the exact anatomy of repair many years after surgery. Furthermore, we conclude that keeping surgical drawings in the patient records can be of great importance, especially in complicated cases.