Coarctation of the Aorta

Diagnosis

During your physical exam, a doctor may notice a significant difference in blood pressure between your upper and lower body. For example, your groin (femoral) pulse may be weaker and may occur later than your neck (carotid) pulse, or you may have no groin pulse at all. When listening to your heart, your doctor may hear a characteristic heart murmur.

Your care team may use one or more tests to diagnose coarctation of the aorta:

• Echocardiogram. This procedure evaluates the structure and function of your heart using sound waves recorded on an electronic sensor that produces a moving picture of your heart. By showing the pattern of blood flow through your aorta, the echocardiogram can determine the size of the opening and measure the blood flow through it.
• Electrocardiogram (EKG). This test records your heart's electrical activity, shows any abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias or dysrhythmias) and detects heart muscle thickening that can be caused by coarctation of the aorta.
• Cardiac catheterization. This procedure gives your doctor detailed information about the structures inside your heart. Your doctor will insert a small, thin, flexible tube (catheter) into a blood vessel in your groin, inject a contrast dye and carefully guide the tube into your heart. The dye helps your doctor clearly see the structures in your heart. Catheterization also measures blood pressure and oxygen levels in each of your heart's chambers and in your lung (pulmonary) artery and aorta. Coarctation of the aorta can be diagnosed using dye to take pictures of your aorta and by measuring the pressure in your aorta.
• Magnetic resonance imaging/Magnetic resonance angiography (MRI/MRA). This imaging technology uses magnets and radio waves to produce detailed images of your body's organs and structures and blood vessels.
• Computed tomography (CT scan). A computer translates information from X-rays into images of thin sections (slices) of the heart and aorta.

Read more about echocardiogram, EKG, cardiac catheterization, MRI and CT scan at MayoClinic.com.