Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
Patent ductus arteriosus is a heart condition where a foetal blood vessel between the aorta and pulmonary artery does not close after birth, leaving an abnormal connection.
When to get help quickly: Urgent review is important if a baby is feeding poorly, breathing very fast, or struggling to gain weight, especially when premature.
Common symptoms
Small PDAs may cause no symptoms. Larger ones can cause poor feeding, fast breathing, tiredness, poor weight gain in infants, and a heart murmur on examination.
When imaging helps
Imaging confirms the PDA, measures its size, and checks how much extra blood flow is going to the lungs.
What radiology does
Echocardiography is the test of choice; chest X-ray may show changes in heart size and lung blood flow.
What usually happens next
Treatment depends on the size and symptoms — observation for small ones, medications in premature infants, and catheter-based closure or surgery for larger ones causing symptoms.
Seen this on your report?
Your doctor or the radiologist who wrote it can tell you what it means for you.