Comparison of the incidence of residual shunting between two surgical techniques used for ligation of patent ductus arteriosus in the dog

Objective— To compare the incidence of residual patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) flow after ligation using 2 different dissection techniques: a standard dissection and a method described by Jackson and Henderson. Study Design— A randomized, prospective study. Animals— Thirty‐five dogs admitted for surgical correction of a left to right shunting PDA. Methods— Dogs were randomly assigned: 19 to a standard dissection technique (group S) and 16 to the Jackson and Henderson dissection group (group JH). Results— Gender ratio, age at surgery, and diameter of the ductus were not statistically different between groups. Breed distribution was also similar. Because 1 dog had fatal intraoperative hemorrhage, only 34 dogs were available for residual flow comparisons. Twenty‐one percent of group S dogs had residual flow compared with 53% in group JH. Whereas no intraoperative complications occurred in group S, 3 were encountered in group JH. Conclusions— The incidence of residual flow was higher when the Jackson and Henderson dissection was used for PDA ligation compared with a standard method of dissection. This was probably because of entrapment of loose connective tissue within the medial aspect of the ligature, impeding complete closure of the ductus. Clinical Relevance— Ideal PDA closure should result in no residual ductal flow to prevent possible adverse long‐term sequelae, such as recanalization and infective endocarditis.