Case report: congenital syphilis associated with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.

A Newborn infant with prenatally acquired syphilis and persistent pulmonary hypertension is described. The patient had clinical, serologic, and radiologic evidence of syphilis at birth. He demonstrated right to left shunting of blood at the level of the foramen ovale, and responded to hyperventilation. Despite adequate oxygenation with hyperventilation, the patient expired after five days of therapy due to a progressive pneumonia and hypotension. The clinician should be aware of this unusual mode of presentation and anticipate the potential need for early aggressive intervention.