Fig. 5

In patients with repaired CoA the distensibility of the aorta was significantly lower in the aortic root and trended lower in the aortic isthmus, compared to the descending aorta. Both age at time of repair and aortic location were included in a linear mixed effects model, and the p-values shown in the graph were obtained from this model, which accounts for repeated measurements (at 4 aortic locations) in each patient. Across all locations, the distensibility was lower if the repair was performed at a later age (p = 0.016). The size of the data points is proportional to the age at the time of surgery, and larger data points are seen for lower distensibility values, illustrating the significant effect of higher age at time of repair. The DAo was chosen as reference level, as the values there were closest to those observed in normal volunteers