Purpose. To assess the role of trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE), CT-angiography (CTA) and cardio-MRI in the routine evaluation of aortic coarctation (CoAo) and preoperative planning in children.

Materials and methods. The study comprised 119 patients -all of them underwent TTE, 101 - CTA, 41 - underwent cardio-MRI. On TTE, CTA and cardio-MRI aorta morphometry was performed.  All important intra- and extracardiac findings were assessed.

Results. The diagnostic accuracy of the TTE, CTA and cardio-MRI was 88.2%, 96.3% and 90.2% respectively. The preoperative accuracy of TTE was inferior to CT methods in determining the pathology of brachiocephalic vessels, aberrant right subclavian artery and vascular collaterals: 36%, 7%, 13%, respectively. CTA is more accurate in determining extracardiac anomalies compared to TTE. The diagnostic accuracy of CTA in determining the pathology of brachiocephalic vessels, aberrant right subclavian artery and vascular collaterals was: 100%, 100% and 87% respectively. In determining septal defects, TTE was more effective in comparison with CTA, the diagnostic accuracy of the technique was 96% against the result of CTA in 87%.

Conclusion. TTE is a screening method and has a high diagnostic value in determining aortic coarctation, however, it cannot be final and preferable in pre-surgical planning due to limited visualization of extracardiac anomalies. CT methods are highly effective both in determining the pathology of the aortic arch and in identifying concomitant anomalies. Because of the technical limitations and difficulties in conducting MRI of the heart in younger children, the lack of additional significant information in comparison with CTA of the heart, cardio-MRI is not the method of choice in the diagnosis of CoAo in young children. For older children, cardio-MRI is an alternative to CTA in the diagnosis and preoperative planning of CoAo.