Percutaneous closure of patent ductus arteriosus in an asymptomatic adult.

T he ductus arteriosus allows deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle through the descending aorta and to the placenta in the fetal period. Functional and anatomical closure is complete by several weeks after birth. Patients with ductus-dependent physiology generally have advanced congenital malformations and require surgical intervention early in life. However, some patients will present as adults with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). We describe a 43-year-old woman who was found to have a PDA during evaluation for a precordial murmur, and she underwent successful percutaneous closure.