Definition of "coarctation" [co•arc•ta•tion]

• A narrowing or constricting, especially of the aorta or of a blood vessel. (noun)
• The state of being enclosed in an oval horny case. Used of an insect pupa. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Distinct from this diffuse and moderate stenosis at the isthmus is the condition known as coarctation of the aorta, or marked stenosis often amounting to complete obliteration of its lumen, seen in adults and occuring at or near, oftenest a little below, the insertion of the ligamentum arteriosum into the aorta."
• "That almost certainly meant the boy had a "coarctation," or blockage of his aorta, which is the key pipeline supplying oxygen-rich blood to the body."
• "A surgical procedure performed to repair coarctation of the aorta, using part of the left subclavian artery as a patch to enlarge a narrowed aorta."