Description
The ductus arteriosus (DA) is a fetal vascular shunt that is located between the main pulmonary artery and the aorta. Oxygenated fetal blood from the placenta is shunted past the uninflated fetal lungs, crosses the DA, and is then available to the peripheral organs. In utero closure of the DA is deleterious, but postnatal closure of the DA is necessary for establishment of pulmonary circulation and the transition to newborn life.