BACKGROUND The first successful surgical repair of coarctation of the aorta (CoAo) was performed in 1944, but during the years that followed a high incidence of recoarctation was seen, ranging from 20% to 86%. In response to that problem, the patch aortoplasty was introduced in 1957; however, true aneurysms were found in the aortic wall opposite the patch after Dacron patch aortoplasty, particularly when the coarctation ridge was excised. The purpose of our review was to evaluate the results of patch aortoplasty for CoAo using a relatively new material, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and an operative technique that does not involve resection of the coarctation ridge. RESULTS Between 1979 and 1993, 125 infants and children underwent PTFE patch aortoplasty for CoAo; 111 of the procedures were primary repairs, and 14 were reoperations. Diagnoses were isolated CoAo (96 patients), CoAo and ventricular septal defect (15 patients), and CoAo with complex intracardiac anomaly (14 patients). Patient age at the time of repair ranged from 4 days to 17 years (mean age, 5.1 +/- 4.5 years). There were no instances of intraoperative mortality or paraplegia. There were 4 deaths from 10 to 40 days postoperatively, all in neonates (mean age, 33 days) who received additional intracardiac procedures for complex associated anomalies. Follow-up has ranged from 6 months to 12.5 years (mean, 4.5 +/- 3.2 years). All children had postoperative chest roentgenograms, 80 (66%) patients have had a postoperative echocardiogram and 16 (13%) a cardiac catheterization. One patient had successful repair of a false aneurysm 4 months postoperatively. No patient has developed a late true aneurysm. Of the patients < 1 month of age at the time of CoAo repair (12 patients), 6 patients had recurrent CoAo (gradient > 20 mm Hg) compared with only 4 recurrences in 97 patients > 1 month of age at the time of repair (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS For children > 1 year of age, PTFE patch aortoplasty remains our procedure of choice for CoAo repair because of the low mortality rate, low recoarctation rate, and absence of late true aneurysms. We have stopped using this technique for infants < 1 month of age because of the high recurrence rate.