Multimodality imaging of patent ductus arteriosus with severe pulmonary hypertension following 3 pregnancies
Abstract
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) typically presents in early childhood. Undiagnosed cases can progress to pulmonary vascular disease with significant morbidity and mortality. We present the case of a 46-year-old woman who presented with exertional chest discomfort and was subsequently diagnosed with severe pulmonary hypertension secondary to a large, previously unrecognized PDA. Multimodal imaging demonstrated right ventricular dilation and dysfunction, with pulmonary arterial pressures at systemic levels. Right heart and left heart catheterization revealed systemic level pulmonary vascular resistance with evidence of bi-directional shunting. The patient demonstrated mild symptomatic improvement with medical therapy; however, given the irreversibility of pulmonary hypertension, lung transplant referral was made. This case is notable for the patient's survival into the fifth decade without cardiac intervention despite having completed 3 pregnancies. This example illustrates the complementary roles of echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and CTA in diagnosing and characterizing congenital heart disease presenting in adulthood with advanced pulmonary vascular complications.
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Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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