Dextrocardia

Excerpt

Dextrocardia is a rare congenital disorder in which the heart resides on the right side of the thoracic cavity (see Image. Dextrocardia Chest X-ray). It is often associated with other development anomalies and, in most cases, is diagnosed incidentally. It can occur by itself or can be accompanied by a reversal in the position of other organs (termed situs inversus totalis). Dextrocardia also involves a change in the orientation of the heart, with its base to the apex axis being directed to the right, in contrast to the normal heart orientation where the apex is directed to the left. This change in orientation differentiates it from cardiac dextroposition, where the heart is displaced to the right side as a result of extracardiac causes, such as a diaphragmatic hernia, right pneumonectomy, or right lung hypoplasia. In typical dextrocardia, the intracardiac anatomy is also reversed, termed as situs inversus (see Image. Situs Inversus in a 56-year-old Woman With Left Flank Pain). When dextrocardia is associated with a normal position of other thoracoabdominal structures, it is called situs solitus.