The global effect of aortic coarctation on carotid and renal pulsatile hemodynamics

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a congenital disease characterized by the narrowing of the aorta, typically the descending portion after the left subclavian artery. To create a systolic contraction, the compliant LV sac is squeezed inside a fluid-filled plexiglass container using a programmable piston pump (ViVitro Labs Inc, SuperPump, AR SERIES). Our principal finding is that CoA increases cerebral blood flow and harmful pulsatile energy transmission to the brain.