PERSISTÊNCIA CLÁSSICA DO DUCTO ARTERIOSO EM CADELA

The ductus arteriosus is a vessel that during fetal life connects the aorta to the pulmonary artery and usually, closes a few hours after birth. The failure to the occlusion of the duct is called the persistence of ductus arteriosus (PDA) or patent ductus arteriosus, resulting in a common congenital heart defect in dogs, affecting mainly the females, and that is rarely found in cats. The PDA presents itself in two forms: the classical PDA, characterized by blood flow within the duct occurring from the left (aorta) to the right (pulmonary), and the reverse PDA, in which the blood flow is towards the aorta, from right to left. The treatment is a surgical intervention for the closure of the ductus arteriosus, through an open procedure, elected as a technical standard due to the security that this method offers. However, only animals with classic patent ductus arteriosus can be operated to close the duct, as in cases of reverse flow, the duct acts as an escape valve for the pulmonary artery. The objective of this study is report a case of classic patent ductus arteriosus in a female dog, as well as approaching the surgical technique used for the resolution of classic patent ductus arteriosus.