Congenital mitral valve disease associated with coarctation of the aorta: A report of 39 cases

Abstract Congenital mitral valve defects occurred in 23 (7 per cent) of 333 infants and children who had a coarctation of the aorta resected. A 22 per cent incidence was found at postmortem examination in a separate group of 74 patients who had not had operation for coarctation. Reasons for the relatively high incidence of this combination of cardiac anomalies, previously considered rare, are discussed with special reference to natural selection. The prognosis of those infants and children surviving resection of the coarctation is poor.