This is a color flow mapping study obtained at the same level as figure A. Blue represents blood flow moving away from the transducer, red flow depicts flow moving toward the transducer and green or mosaic color represents turbulent flow. As the PDA narrows the flow accelerated and becomes turbulent and is encoded in green. This results in a dilated left atrium, left ventricle, and pulmonary trunk as blood is shunted from the aorta back into the pulmonary circulation. Poodles, collies, pomeranians, german shepherds, and Shetland sheepdogs show a predilection for this condition. Surgical correction is the therapy of choice and involves either surgical ligation of the shunt or placement of a Gianturco vascular occlusion coil to occlude the shunt.
Prognosis is excellent if surgery is performed.
In this patient a Gianturco vascular occlusion coil was placed in the ductus arteriosus. The radiograph at right clearly shows the coil within the ductus. Click here to see a Quicktime movie of an echocardiogram of a patient that has had a Gianturco vascular occlusion coil placed 12 months prior. This echocardiogram demonstrates a small amount of residual left to right shunting. This is depicted graphically as a mosaic color moving from lateral to medial across the pulmonary artery.