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From Galen to Gross and beyond: a brief history of the enigmatic patent ductus arteriosus

Journal of Perinatology volume 39, pages 1442–1448 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Anatomists since antiquity and pathologists since at least the 17th century had identified the ductus arteriosus (DA) in cadavers and postmortem examinations, respectively. However, healthcare providers for more than a century have struggled to understand the significance of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in patients, debated whether to treat it or not and if so, when and how. Accepted answers depended upon the authoritative position of the person(s) offering recommendations, the cumulative contemporary medical knowledge, and the changing patient population characteristics. The treatment choices were most often based on one’s understanding of the balance between the risks and benefits of the chosen treatment. In the current era, with the increasing popularity of transcatheter occlusion of the PDA with relative ease even in extremely premature infants whose survival rates have improved dramatically, a basic question has reemerged—what are the benefits to treating the PDA in any preterm infant. In this brief review, I am providing a chronicle of the evolution of knowledge about the DA, the varying nature of the challenges a patent ductus posed for the caregivers, and the roots of the continued debate concerning the management of the enigmatic PDA.

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  1. Department of Pediatrics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA

    Tonse N. K. Raju

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Raju, T.N.K. From Galen to Gross and beyond: a brief history of the enigmatic patent ductus arteriosus. J Perinatol 39, 1442–1448 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-019-0517-4

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