Coarctation of the Aorta in Animals

Coarctation of the aorta is a rare condition of dogs and cats that involves narrowing of the aorta distal to the subclavian artery, typically in the area of the ductus arteriosus. Similar to other stenotic lesions, this leads to increased pressure proximal to the narrowing, resulting in concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle. Other uncommon congenital abnormalities of the aorta include tubular hypoplasia of the ascending aorta and aortic interruption. Surgical correction has been reported.