Treating PDA in adulthood depends on several factors. If your PDA got closed in childhood, you may not need additional treatment as an adult. A small PDA that causes no symptoms may not require treatment in adulthood either. However, certain PDAs require timely treatment.
Your cardiologist will recommend treatment if your PDA is:
- Medium-sized
- Large
- Causing complications, such as blood flow problems
For adults with an open PDA, a procedure or surgery is the only available treatment.
An interventional cardiologist performs this procedure by making a small chest incision. Using a small, flexible tube (catheter) and guidewires, the interventional cardiologist places a plugging device in the PDA to block the connection between the PDA and the aorta.
When catheterization is not appropriate, congenital cardiac surgeons perform the surgery through an open chest incision. As catheterization techniques have advanced, open surgery is rarely necessary for PDA.
