Infantile (Preductal) Coarctation of Aorta Presenting as Cerebellar Infarct - A Rare Presentation.

Coarctation of aorta is a common congenital heart defect. The diagnosis may be missed unless a highindex of suspicion is maintained, and is often delayed until the patient develops congestive heart failure (CHF), (common in infants) or hypertension (common in older children). It seldom goes undiagnosed till adulthood and frequently leads to complications as a result of long-standing high blood pressure. Intracranial haemorrhage, premature coronary artery disease, aortic aneurysms and rupture have all been reported. But it is rare to see a patient with preductal (infantile) coarctation survive childhood and presents with an infarct in adulthood. We herein present a case report of a young woman who came with vomiting and giddiness and was diagnosed as a case of cerebellar infarct due to a concealed preductal (infantile) coarctation of aorta.
(© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)