coarctation

[ koh-ahrk-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. Pathology.
   1. a narrowing of the lumen of a blood vessel.
   2. a congenital anomaly of the heart in which there is a narrowing of the aorta, resulting in abnormal blood flow.
2. Entomology. the condition of having the body enclosed in a hardened shell or puparium.

Word History and Origins

Origin of coarctation¹

1400–50; late Middle English coartacioun pressure, constriction < Latin coar ( c ) tātiōn-, stem of coar ( c ) tātiō; coarctate, -ion

Example Sentences

And it appeared Rycker had aortic coarctation, a narrowing of the large blood vessel branching off the heart, which would cause it to pump harder to force blood through the body.

From Washington Times

She had a heart defect, Tennant said afterward, more specifically, coarctation of the aorta.

From Washington Times

The hole in Rian’s heart closed on its own, but he still has a coarctation of the aorta, which is a narrowing of the large blood vessel that leads from the heart.

From Seattle Times

In children, the most common cause of high blood pressure is a narrowing, or coarctation, of the aorta.

From New York Times

In this study, the most common type of this defect was coarctation of the aorta -- a narrowing in the body's main artery that, in children, typically requires surgical repair.

From Reuters