Severe coarctation in an infant

This young infant came for a cardiac CT for ruling out possible coarctation. A cardiac CT was performed, which showed the coarctation well. A significant narrowing was seen extending from the origin of the left common carotid artery to the origin of the left subclavian artery (Figs. 1, 2). A thin PDA was also noted (Fig. 3).

Coarctation is one of the simplest anomalies that can be accurately depicted with CT angiography. A gated study gives smoother images than a non-gated one, though non-gated studies will almost always be diagnostic.