The Evaluation of Left Atrial to Aortic Root Diameter Ratio after PDA Closure in Children

Ductus arteriosus (DA) is a vascular structure that makes a link between the proximal descending aorta and main pulmonary artery near the origin of the left pulmonary artery. The present study aimed to assess the changes of LA/Ao ratio after PDA closure in children. This cross-sectional study was performed on 635 children with PDA in the Ali Asghar clinic, Zahedan, Iran, from 2003 to 2019. The participants were followed for at least one year after discharge from the hospital after intervention. PDA diagnosis was conducted in accordance with the echocardiography performed by a pediatric cardiologist using Mylab 60 and challenged 7000 made in Italy.  The analyses were performed by SPSS 20.00, considering 0.05 as the significant error. As compared to the baseline measures before the interventions, the growth rates of LA/Ao ratio decreased by 24% and 10% in the first and second 6 months after the intervention. During the first 6 months after the intervention, the percentages of LA/Ao ratio reduction were 23%, 25% and 22% in small, medium and large PDA while these percentages were 7%, 13% and 16%   during the second 6 months after the intervention, respectively. Regarding the intervention, the percentages were 25%, 24%, 24% and 24% in PDAs that were, respectively, closed by medication, surgery, occlusion device and VATS in the first six months after the intervention. The percentages were, respectively, 9%, 10%, 11% and 9% for the second 6 months after the intervention. The percentages were, respectively, 24%, 24% and 21% in those PDAs with residuals, no complication and PH in the first six months after the intervention. This pattern was, respectively, 8%, 9% and 16.6% for the second 6 months after the intervention. It was concluded that LA/AO ratio had the highest decrease during the first six months after the intervention, so that PDAs with moderate sizes or those who had medication as intervention or those with residual complications had the highest percentages of reduction.