Treatment
There are three main options for treatment – wait and see, give medication, or operate.

Wait and see (the conservative option)
If the circulation of the blood is not being greatly affected by the PDA and the baby is not showing any signs of distress, in general you can just wait until the PDA closes by itself. In the case of a small PDA, it will generally close itself during the first weeks after birth.

Medication
If the circulation of the blood is clearly being affected or the baby is showing clear signs of distress as a result of the PDA, you can often close it by giving the baby medication (either ibuprofen or indomethacin). Both of these drugs reduce the levels of prostaglandin, a hormone that keeps the duct open.

Surgery
It’s also an option to close the PDA surgically. An operation is generally only a last resort if the medication has not had the desired effect, or if there are other special reasons meaning that treatment with these drugs is unsuitable for the baby. It is relatively rare that this kind of operation is needed. After an operation, the PDA cannot open itself again.