51. Ductus Botalli persistens
Organ: Heart and great vessels
Description:
From the back can we see that there’s a red rod that originates in the right ventricle, goes through the pulmonary trunk, through an opening between the pulmonary trunk and the aorta and ends up in the aortic arch.
Diagnosis: Patent ductus arteriosus (Ductus Botalli persistens in Hungarian)
Causes:
- Unknown
Theory:
PDA (persistent ductus arteriosus) is what occurs when the embryonic ductus arteriosus never closes. It’s supposed to close one week after birth.
PDA creates a left-to-right shunt. It occurs alone in 90% of the cases, but in 10% of the cases it occurs together with other congenital heart defects, like:
- VSD
- Coarctation of aorta
- Pulmonary stenosis
- Aortic stenosis
