Pulmonary and aortic endarteritis revealing a patent ductus arteriosus in an adult

Abstract

Abstract The ductus arteriosus, an essential fetal structure, normally closes spontaneously soon after birth. Its persistence into late adulthood is considered to be rare; infective endarteritis (IE) complicating a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is an even rarer event. The clinical picture of an infected PDA could be subtle, and the diagnosis is frequently delayed. We present the case of a young woman who presented with prolonged fever for whom we made the diagnosis of a PDA complicated by IE, with vegetations in both pulmonary and aortic walls with mycotic aneurysms of the descending aorta. She underwent surgery and the post-operative course was uneventful. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a PDA complicated with both pulmonary and aortic endarteritis.