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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffYour baby's doctor may detect a heart defect when listening to his or her heart. Patent ductus arteriosus can cause a heart murmur that your doctor can hear through a stethoscope. If your doctor hears a heart murmur or finds other signs or symptoms of a heart defect, he or she may request one or more of these tests:
- Echocardiogram. An echocardiogram uses sound waves to produce a video image of the heart. This image can help doctors see the heart chambers and evaluate how well the heart is pumping. This test also checks the heart valves and looks for any other heart defects.
- Chest X-ray. An X-ray image helps the doctor see the condition of your baby's heart and lungs and the amount of blood in the lungs. An X-ray may identify conditions other than a heart defect that may explain your baby's symptoms.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG). This test records the electrical activity of your baby's heart. This test helps diagnose heart defects or rhythm problems.
- Cardiac catheterization. In this test, a thin, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into a blood vessel at your baby's groin or arm and guided through it into the heart. Through catheterization, doctors can do further testing to evaluate congenital heart defects found during echocardiography. In certain defects, treatment procedures can be done during cardiac catheterization to improve the heart's function.
Occasionally, a small patent ductus arteriosus may not be detected until adulthood.
