What is the Difference Between Aortic Dissection and Coarctation

Aortic dissection and coarctation are two different kinds of aortic diseases. The aorta is the main blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the organs throughout the body. And the aortic disease is a very common form of cardiovascular disease.

The key difference between aortic dissection and coarctation is their cause. Aortic dissection involves a tear occurs in the inner layer of the body’s aorta, while coarctation is the narrowing of a part of the body’s aorta. 

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Aortic Dissection
3. What is Coarctation
4. Similarities – Aortic Dissection and Coarctation
5. Aortic Dissection vs Coarctation in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Aortic Dissection vs Coarctation
7. FAQ: Aortic Dissection and Coarctation

What is Aortic Dissection?

Aortic dissection is a serious condition. In this condition, a tear occurs in the inner layer of the body’s main artery. Blood rushes through this tear and ultimately causes the inner and middle layers of the aorta to dissect. The symptoms of this condition may include sudden severe chest pain, stomach pain, loss of consciousness, weak pulse, leg pain, and difficulty in walking. Moreover, an aortic dissection is normally caused by a weakened area of the aorta’s wall.

Figure 01:  Aortic Dissection

Aortic dissection can be diagnosed through physical examination, transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), computerized tomography (CT) scan of the chest, and magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA). Furthermore, treatment options for aortic dissection may include medications to reduce heart rate and blood pressure and surgery.

What is Coarctation?

Coarctation is the narrowing of the aorta. The symptoms of coarctation of the aorta in infants include difficulty breathing, heavy sweating,  difficulty feeding, and irritability. The symptoms of coarctation of the aorta in adults may include chest pain, high blood pressure, headaches, muscle weakness, leg cramps, cold feet, and nosebleeds. Most of the time, coarctation is a congenital condition. However, in rare cases, it can occur due to traumatic injury, an extreme build-up of cholesterols and fats in the arteries, and a rare type of swelling and irritation of blood vessels in the heart.

Figure 02: Coarctation

Coarctation can be diagnosed through physical examination, echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, chest MRI, CT scan, coronary angiogram with cardiac catheterization, and CT angiogram. Furthermore, treatment options for coarctation are blood pressure medications, medicine to keep the ductus arteriosus open, surgery, and other procedures.

Similarities Between Aortic Dissection and Coarctation

1. Aortic dissection and coarctation are two different kinds of aortic diseases.
2. Coarctation can result in aortic dissection.
3. Both can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging tests.
4. They can be treated through specific medications and surgeries.

Difference Between Aortic Dissection and Coarctation

Definition

1. Aortic dissection is the tearing of the inner layer of the aorta.
2. Coarctation is the narrowing of the aorta.

Caused by

1. An aortic dissection is caused by a weakened area of the aorta’s wall.
2. Coarctation is caused by the congenital factors, trauma, arthrosclerosis, swelling and irritation of blood vessels in the heart.

Symptoms

1. Symptoms of aortic dissection may include sudden severe chest pain, stomach pain, loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, fainting, low blood pressure, rapid weak pulse, heavy sweating, confusion, loss of vision, and stroke symptoms.
2. Symptoms of coarctation may include difficulty breathing, difficulty feeding, heavy sweating, and irritability in infants, chest pain, high blood pressure, leg cramps, headaches, muscle weakness, cold feet, and nosebleeds in adults.

Diagnosis

1. Aortic dissection can be diagnosed through physical examination, transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), computerized tomography (CT) scan of the chest, and magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA).
2. Coarctation can be diagnosed through physical examination, echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, chest MRI, CT scan, coronary angiogram with cardiac catheterization, and CT angiogram.

Treatment

1. Treatment options for aortic dissection may include giving medications to reduce heart rate and blood pressure and surgery such as graft replacement, endovascular stent, and hybrid option.
2. Treatment options for coarctation are giving blood pressure medications, medicine to keep the ductus arteriosus open, surgery, and other procedures such as thoracotomy and sternotomy.

The following table summarizes the difference between aortic dissection and coarctation.

Summary – Aortic Dissection vs Coarctation

The aorta is the main blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the organs throughout the body. Aorta can be vulnerable to a number of disorders – many that are life threatening. Aortic dissection and coarctation are two different kinds of aortic diseases. However, aortic dissection is the tearing of the inner layer of the aorta, while coarctation is the narrowing of the aorta. This summarizes the difference between aortic dissection and coarctation.

FAQ: Aortic Dissection and Coarctation

1. How does aortic dissection happen?

• Aortic dissection usually occurs due to a tear or damage in the inner wall of the aorta. While it most commonly happens in the chest portion of the artery, it can also occur in the abdominal aorta.

2. Can you survive an aortic tear?

• A recent study found that nearly 96% of patients deemed eligible for surgery survive within the first 48 hours. The survival rate for patients with a torn aorta has improved significantly, but the condition is still life-threatening if not detected early.

3. What is the hallmark of coarctation of the aorta?

• The hallmarks of coarctation of the aorta are absent leg pulses and a noticeable difference in blood pressure between the arms and legs. This typically results in high blood pressure in the arms and low to normal blood pressure in the legs.

4. Which is a characteristic of aortic coarctation?

• The signs and symptoms of aortic coarctation are difficulty breathing, difficulty feeding, heavy sweating, irritability, and irritability in infants, while chest pain, headaches, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, leg cramps, cold feet, and nosebleeds in adults.

5. What is the immediate treatment for coarctation of aorta?

• Immediate treatment for coarctation involves a prostaglandin infusion to keep the ductus arteriosus open. This helps maintain blood flow to the lower body until surgery can be performed to repair the coarctation or interruption in the aortic arch.

Reference:

1. “What Is Aortic Dissection?” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Coarctation of the Aorta.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “AoDissekt scheme StanfordB en” By Fvasconcellos. Image:AoDissekt_scheme_StanfordB.png by JHeuser. – Adapted from Image:AoDissekt_scheme_StanfordB.png, made by JHeuser, based upon image:gray621.png and image:Fetal_circulation.png from Gray’s Anatomy (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Coarctationlayoutv2-575px” By Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia

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