Antenatal Thrombosis of Arterial Ductus Spontaneous Aneurysm

Abstract

Introduction: Spontaneous ductus arteriosus aneurysm is a condition rarely diagnosed on prenatal imaging. Literature reveals 1,5 to 8% incidence on pregnancies. Most cases have spontaneous resolution, nonetheless, life-threatening complications such thrombosis, embolism and rupture can occur. Fatal cases reports are scarce, most of them presenting on newborns, days to months after birth.
Objective: To present the autopsy report of a stillbirth whose cause of death was thrombosis of the arterial duct aneurysm.
Methods: A 22-year healthy prime mother with 40-week pregnancy was assisted at a tertiary hospital in Bucaramanga, Santander. She required emergency cesarean section due to low biophysical profile and fetal bradycardia. The newborn had no respiratory effort, was floppy, cyanotic and did not respond to resuscitation maneuvers. The relevant autopsy findings were right atrial dilatation and preductal dilation with thrombosis of the duct whose lumen was completely occluded by a clot.
Conclusions: The prenatal ductal aneurysm is an entity that deserves more study to determine strategies for early diagnosis and follow-up thus decrease the risk of fatal outcomes.