Calcified patent ductus arteriosus diagnosed following aortic valve replacement

A 71-year-old woman underwent aortic valve replacement for severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis. The left ventricle filled rapidly when the left ventricular vent was switched off and postoperatively she was slow to recover with bilateral pleural effusions. These findings prompted early reinvestigation, initially with echocardiography and subsequently with multi-detector row computed tomography. Using a retrospectively electrocardiographic-gated acquisition, adapted from a noninvasive coronary angiography protocol, a calcified, persistently patent ductus arteriosus was identified as the cause for her perioperative and postoperative condition. The defect has since been closed successfully using a transcatheter technique. (C) 2003 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.