Intermittent Claudication of the Young Adult Revealing Coarctation of the Aorta

Abstract

Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital heart disease most often discovered in the neonatal period but can be diagnosed later in older children or even in adults. High blood pressure is the main manifestation in adulthood. Authors reported the case of a 21-year-old patient referred for intermittent claudication associated with grade III high blood pressure in whom the examination showed a blood pressure asymmetry with a gradient of 65mmHg between the upper and lower limbs. Cardiac ultrasound showed bicuspid aortic valve associated with flow acceleration at the aortic isthmus with diastolic extension. Thoracic angioscan confirmed the coarctation of the aorta.