Patent Ductus Arteriosus:Surgical Treatment of 686 Patients

Abstract

Six hundred and eighty-six patients with isolated patent duct have been treated surgically, 673 by double ligation and 13 by division of the duct. The overall mortality rate was approximately 1%. the recurrence rate 3%. In our opinion, the technically simple ligation is justified in most patients, while duct division ought to be carried out in those cases where complete occlusion is difficult to achieve by simple ligation, due to a large calibre or pathological changes in the duct wall.