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You are here : 3-RX.com > Medical Encyclopedia > Diseases and Conditions > Coarctation of the Aorta: Diagnosis & Tests
      Category : Health Centers > Heart Diseases

Coarctation of the Aorta

Alternate Names : Aortic Coarctation, CoA

Coarctation of the Aorta | Symptoms & Signs | Diagnosis & Tests | Prevention & Expectations | Treatment & Monitoring

How is the condition diagnosed?

The diagnosis of coarctation of the aorta may be suspected from the medical history and physical exam. A heart tracing, called an EKG, and a chest X-ray are commonly done and may be abnormal. Imaging tests of the heart, such as a test that uses sound waves called echocardiography, can confirm the diagnosis. A chest MRI and chest CT scan can also show the defect.

An X-ray procedure called cardiac catheterization may be done in some cases. In this test, a thin tube is inserted through the skin and into an artery, usually in the groin. The tube is then advanced along the artery and up into the heart. A contrast agent can then be squirted through the tube and into the blood. X-ray pictures of the contrast agent can be taken as it flows through the heart and aorta.


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Coarctation of the Aorta: Symptoms & Signs

 

Coarctation of the Aorta: Prevention & Expectations

Author: Eric Berlin, MD
Reviewer: Adam Brochert, MD
Date Reviewed: 07/24/01



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