Utility of prostaglandin in the identification of discontinuous pulmonary arteries by echocardiography.

We describe two distinct cases in which discontinuous pulmonary arteries were identified by echocardiography and color Doppler imaging. In both cases, perfusion of one or both pulmonary arteries was dependent on a patent ductus arteriosus. Establishment of the source of perfusion and the anatomy of the discontinuous pulmonary arteries were evident only after an infusion of prostaglandin had been initiated, thus demonstrating that its use was a key component in the identification of this disease entity.