Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus

Abstract

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a remnant of the sixth arch in fetal life. It usually closes after birth at some stage in the first two weeks of life; children with persistence of the PDA are at risk of left ventricle enlargement and subsequent heart failure; if the PDA is not closed during childhood and persists until adulthood, the pulmonary vascular bed will be exposed to systemic pressures with the consequent increase risk of pulmonary hypertension, arrhythmias, and endocarditis (1).