Your heart is the chief primary pump of your body, its main function being to pump and circulate oxygenated blood all through your body and deoxygenated blood back to the lungs for removal. The heart is a pump, with heart valves that allow blood to flow in a single direction throughout the heart. There are four valves that determine the flow of blood through the heart. A heart valve can either open or close based on the changes in blood pressure. The heart drains into the aorta (supplying oxygenated blood to the whole body) from the left side and the pulmonary artery to the right side (supplying deoxygenated blood to the lungs to get re-oxygenated). The four main valves in the heart are as follows.
- There are two atrioventricular (AV) valves, the mitral valve (or the bicuspid valve), and the tricuspid valve, which are located between the upper chambers (atria) and the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart.
- There are two semilunar (SL) valves, the aortic valve and the pulmonary valve, which separate the heart and the arteries leaving the heart. The aortic valve separates the left ventricle from the aorta (the main blood vessel of the heart supplying oxygen and nutrients to the whole of the body).
What is coarctation of aorta ?
Coarctation of the aorta, otherwise called as aortic coarctation, is a narrowing of the aorta, the major blood vessel of the heart supplying oxygen and nutrients to the whole of the body. If this occurs, your heart pumps harder to force blood out through the narrowed segment of your aorta. The defect in the aortic valve is mostly congenital (from birth). This condition can range in severity, varying from mild to severe, and might not be detected till adulthood, depending on the extent of narrowing of aorta.
This coarctation of the aorta is a congenital heart disease frequently accompanying other heart defects. While treatment is typically successful, the condition still requires cautious lifelong follow-up.
What is coarctoplasty ?
Coarctoplasty is used primarily to treat coarctation of the aorta. The coarctoplasty procedure is performed by opening the narrowed arteries that carry blood from the veins to the aorta. Varying degrees of narrowing of the aorta exist and based on that the surgery is devised. A stent can be inserted into the aorta to maintain the patency of the aorta.
Diagnostic tests like chest radiographs, ECGs, and echocardiograms can see how much the blood vessel is narrowed.
The coarctoplasty can be either done by catheterization or by open surgical repair. This decision is based on the child’s condition. A balloon coarctoplasty is a procedure in which a specialized catheter with a balloon at its tip
will be inserted into an artery either in the arm or groin. Once it reaches the valve, the balloon is inflated; the artery is expanded and then both catheter and balloon are removed also via the same route. A stent can also be inserted in the same procedure. The surgical procedure is performed under the influence of general anesthesia mostly and requires a dedicated change in lifestyle and rehabilitative exercises to help recover full heart function. Your cardiologist will choose the best procedure to treat you based on the condition of the aorta.
How to find pediatric cardiologists for coarctoplasty procedure ?
Now you can find pediatric cardiologists for coarctoplasty procedure from different hospitals and destinations on a single platform, Hinfoways. You can avail opinions from multiple pediatric cardiologists, get approximate cost of coarctoplasty procedure from various heart hospitals, compare things and then choose a pediatric cardiologist for coarctoplasty procedure.
Find a pediatric cardiologist for coarctoplasty procedure on Hinfoways. Make an informed choice.
Disclaimer: The content provided here is meant for general informational purposes only and hence SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, care or evaluation by a qualified doctor/physician or other relevantly qualified healthcare provider.
