Is dextrocardia situs inversus rare?
Dextrocardia with Situs Inversus is a rare heart condition characterized by abnormal positioning of the heart. In this condition, the tip of the heart (apex) is positioned on the right side of the chest.
What percentage of people have dextrocardia?
Less than 1 percent of the general population is born with dextrocardia. If you have isolated dextrocardia, your heart is located on the right side of your chest, but it has no other defects. Dextrocardia can also occur in a condition called situs inversus.
What is the incidence of situs inversus?
The incidence of situs inversus totalis is approximately 1:10,000 and may be associated with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) which refers to the dysfunction of cilia.
How is situs inversus acquired?
An acquired cause resulting from an in utero insult that interrupts the normal process of differentiation and orientation has been postulated in view of the frequent association between abnormal situs and other rare congenital defects.
How is situs inversus diagnosis?
A thorough physical examination, followed by radiographic imaging of the chest and abdomen and electrocardiography, identify most cases of situs inversus. The main diagnostic challenge in affected people is the non-traditional presence of referred pain (pain felt in a different location than its source).
How is situs inversus caused?
Situs inversus is caused by an autosomal recessive genetic condition. An unaffected carrier mother and an unaffected carrier father have a 1 in 4 chance of having a child with situs inversus. Because many genetic steps would have to come together to cause situs inversus, the condition is rare.
How does situs inversus change the body?
In the most common situation, situs inversus totalis, it involves complete transposition (right to left reversal) of all of the viscera. The heart is not in its usual position in the left chest, but is on the right, a condition known as dextrocardia (literally, “right-hearted”)….
| Situs inversus | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 0.01% |
Do people with situs inversus have heart problems?
But a person with situs inversus can have a heart that points to the right, so the heartbeat would be loudest on that side. Doctors can use imaging studies to determine the exact type of situs inversus. How is situs inversus treated? For many patients, situs inversus doesn’t cause any other symptoms.
What is the prognosis for situs inversus?
The long-term outlook (prognosis) for people with situs inversus depends on whether the condition is isolated, or is associated additional abnormalities affecting the heart or other parts of the body. Isolated situs inversus has an excellent prognosis , typically with an uneventful prenatal and postnatal course.
What does situs inversus mean?
Situs inversus is a genetic condition in which the organs in the chest and abdomen are positioned in a mirror image from their normal positions. For example, the left atrium of the heart and the left lung are positioned on the body’s right side.
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