Definition:
Dextrocardia with situs inversus is a rare state where the heart's apex is positioned abnormally towards the right side, other than the heart the liver and the spleen are reversed too. This condition is not a life threatening disease and most patients are capable of living a normal life.
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis of this condition can be done through ultrasound or X-ray. Images of the heart, spleen and liver are captured through these devices and analyzed by radiologists.
Treatment:
There is not a standard treatment for this disease. If treatments are needed, they are mostly symptomatic and address specific problems only but not the whole condition. Treatments also depends the extent of malformation of the heart or the visceral organs.
Symptoms and Signs:
Characteristics or symptoms of this disease include reversed heart chambers and abdominal organs like the spleen and liver. The primitive heart tube folds to the left. Some patients may encounter bowel problems, colds or bronchial problems due to the movement of the minute hair-like structures in the lungs and nose in the opposite direction thus causing illness.
Causes:
This condition is present at birth and even during fetal development. It is a condition that is transmitted genetically, most of the time a recessive disorder of an affected family.
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dextrocardiawithsitusinversus
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