Coarctation of the aorta is a narrowing of the aorta that causes a blockage to blood flow. Most coarctations are congenital and are usually discovered in infancy; however, some coarctations develop over time. The narrowing may be discrete or may extend over a long segment of the aorta. Most coarctations are located in chest, but rarely they can occur in the abdomen. The terms "simple" and "complex" are used to describe coarctations that are either isolated or associated with other congenital hea

The term "complex single ventricle" and "uni-ventricular heart" are used to describe a group of rare heart defects, which have in common, a large single pumping chamber or ventricle instead of the usual two. In terms of health effects and surgical treatment, these defects are similar to two other defects described elsewhere in our site including hypoplastic left heart syndrome and tricuspid atresia. This group includes the more specific heart diagnoses of double inlet left ventricle and double i

Corrected transposition of the great arteries is a very rare heart defect in which the heart’s lower two chambers, the ventricles, are reversed in their positions. It affects about 1 in 25,000 births and occurs equally in boys and girls.