The long-term prognosis of adult patients with patent ductus arteriosus treated medically or surgically has not been demonstrated. One hundred seventeen adult patients ranging in age from 18 to 81 years (mean 36) were followed up for 1 to 37 years (mean 18). Forty-five patients were treated nonsurgically and 72 had surgical closure. The nonsurgical group experienced significantly more cyanosis (p = 0.002) and had fewer diastolic murmurs (p greater than 0.001) than did the surgical group. In the nonsurgical group, patients with cardiomegaly before treatment were more likely to die (p greater than 0.001) than were patients who did not have cardiomegaly. In the surgical group, patients with cardiomegaly before treatment had a worse prognosis (p = 0.09) than that of patients with normal heart size. Seven patients, five in the nonsurgical and two in the surgical group, presented with a pulmonary artery systolic pressure greater than 100 mm Hg. Five of these patients are alive and well at a mean follow-up time of 18 years. The two nonsurvivors were in the nonsurgical group and died at 4 and 19 years of follow-up, respectively. Adult patients with patent ductus arteriosus should be treated surgically, especially if cardiomegaly is seen at initial presentation.

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