Patent Ductus Arteriosus and Osteoarthropathy

Abstract

Patients who have a patent ductus arteriosus with pulmonary hypertension and reversal of shunt present with cyanosis of the lower extremities and clubbing of the toes.^1-5This paper describes an individual with patent ductus arteriosus and reversal of blood flow through the ductus in whom there is in addition hypertrophic osteoarthropathy involving the bones of the lower extremities only. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> A 24-year-old white female was first seen in the Cardiovascular Laboratory, University of Louisville, in September, 1956, whence she had been referred for physiological studies after a murmur had been heard during a routine physical examination. Questioning at that time revealed that a murmur was first detected when the patient was about 13 years old. She had noted mild dyspnea on exertion and ease of fatigability for as long as she could remember. However, there had been no significant progression of these symptoms, and she was