title: The first closure of the persistent ductus arteriosus.
abstract: Congenital heart disease began to be a treatable condition when, in 1938, Robert Edward Gross first successfully ligated a persistent ductus arteriosus. This overview traces the historical development from Munro's first idea of how to close a patent ductus, presented in 1907, to the clinical ligation or division of the ductus. Surgical treatment of the infected ductus began with an unsuccessful attempt by Strieder, but it was not until Tubbs' and Touroff's successful operations that it was actually accomplished.
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin, Berlin, Germany. alexi@dhzb.de
authors.forename: Vladimir V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Alexi-Meskishvili
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Böttcher
mesh_terms: D004374:Ductus Arteriosus, Patent / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000266:history*