Hi there. I am so curious to find out how your husband is doing. I was diagnosed with CoA (coarctation of the aorta) in 1986 at the age of 20. Within a week I had a thoracotomy (surgical entrance to the heart through the left side of the body) in order for the cardiac surgeon to cut out the narrowing of my aorta (1.5 centimeters! But I was completely asymptomatic. Crazy right?) out and replace the section with a Dacron graft. (One of many options for repairing CoA). Now, 39 years later at the age of 59 and after routine yearly CT scans and visits with my cardiologist, it was noted that over the years my CoA had returned and my peak gradient had gone from 20 to 33 mmHg. I was already seeing Dr. Heidi Connolly at Mayo’s Adult Congenital Heart Defect Clinic for the last 5 years, and it was determined that a less intrusive vascular repair was not possible. I would have to have another thoracotomy. Being older and wiser, I was petrified. I knew just what to expect. Wonderful Dr. Pochettino performed my second repair on September 17, 2024 and although a thoracotomy is a very, very difficult surgery, my surgical recovery has been great. However, I was warned of a 10% chance of damage to the Vagus Nerve. Lo’and behold, I fell into that group. My left vocal cord is paralyzed and I developed laryngeal sensory neuropathy and a severe neurogenic cough. I have coughed a dry cough since surgery and it progressively worsened. My PCP tried everything to alleviate it, steroids, antibiotics, Codeine w/Guaifenesin. Nothing worked. I coughed so much I would vomit multiple times a week and was not allowing my 14 inch incision on my side to heal. I even ended up in the ER but no one seemed to know what to do. Finally, just this past Thanksgiving week, I went back to Mayo (I live 50 miles southwest of Chicago) and saw my cardiologist, an ENT and a Pulmonologist and within two days of talking and testing they had the diagnosis. I have been put on pregabalin 3 times daily at 50 mg each time. I’ve been on it since Thanksgiving and still continue to cough. It is a long process to heal, but my Pulmonologist believes I will see significant improvement in 6 weeks. For some people, it remains a chronic condition. I couldn’t imagine having it for life. I can’t even speak or laugh without coughing. So - there you have it…my experience with Coarctation of the Aorta, two thoracotomies, and one resulting surgical damage to my “Recurrent” nerve (the official name of a branch of the Vagus nerve that wraps around the aorta.) I am praying that everything went well for your husband and no surgery was required. It is uncommon to find CoA in adults so he was very lucky. On a side note, if any one has had a thoracotomy for any reason or has had or has experience with chronic neurogenic cough and treatment with off-label Lyrica (pregabalin - being used in an off-label capacity) or Coarctation of the Aorta, please follow up with me. I find I have absolutely no one to discuss my experience or neurogenic cough with. Again, good luck to your husband and I apologize for my extremely lengthy response. (Pardon any typos! I typed this on my iPad.)