• Etiology: idiopathic, neurofibromatosis, Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD), vasculitis, congenital
  • Demographics: Entity seen in children and young adults, presenting with renal failure, juvenile hypertension, or rarely mesenteric ischemia.
  • Imaging findings: Focal stenosis of the juxta-renal aorta with occasional involvement of the renal arteries and SMA.

Coarctation of the abdominal aorta is also known as middle aortic syndrome/mid-aortic syndrome.  Mid aortic syndrome describes a clinical condition which results from focal segmental narrowing of the abdominal aorta.  Causes of the narrowing can be a congenital anomaly which occurs in utero while the abdominal aorta is developing or it can be cause by several acquired conditions. Acquired conditions include neurofibromatosis (NFT), retroperitoneal fibrosis which can narrow the aorta focally, fibromuscular dysplasia, mucopolysaccharidosis which is a rare entity, and Takayasu’s arteritis which is an inflammatory arteritis.  All of these etiologies cause narrowing of the abdominal aorta and other vessels.