Coarctation of the aorta in adolescents and adults: A review of clinical features and CT imaging

• Coarctation of the aorta is increasingly seen in older patients.
• Imaging plays a crucial role in diagnosis, surgical planning, and follow-up of these patients.
• Imagers should be familiar with the various available surgical techniques.
• CT angiography is a fast, reliable method in the diagnosis and follow-up of these patients.

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA), while usually identified and treated in the neonatal/infant period, is increasingly seen in adults, either primarily or (more often) following repair. Imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis, therapeutic planning, and follow-up of patients with CoA. Clinical management of CoA in adults optimally involves a multidisciplinary team; accordingly, imagers should be familiar with the underlying pathology, associations, and management of CoA in addition to imaging protocoling and interpretation. We will review the relevant clinical and imaging features of CoA, with an emphasis on patients beyond childhood.