Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in adults evaluated in echocardiography and multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT).

Abstract

The authors presented three cases of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) diagnosed in adulthood as an solated defect in patients without clinical signs using echocardiography and MSCT. The paper discusses extensively the techniques of both examinations, the use of various reconstructive algorithms in MSCT and possible visualization of the arterial duct as well as concomitant changes in the vessels and heart. SCT, although not used in PDA diagnosis to date, was found to be a valuable non-invasive diagnostic method of detecting this defect in patients in whom echocardiography failed or in examinations conducted due to non-cardiological clinical indications.