Large Patent Ductus Arteriosus in an Adult

PDA is usually diagnosed and treated shortly after birth, it is rarely seen in adults. Few symptomatic cases of more than 40 years old with uncorrected PDA were reported in the literature. The natural history of adult PDA is characterized by a rising annual death rate from heart failure and bacterial endocarditis. Eisenmenger’s physiology is less often associated with PDA than with large atrial or ventricular septal defects. We present the case of a 42 years old patient who was first diagnosed with PDA during adulthood.