Dextrocardia refers to the heart being on the right side rather than the left. This can occur for a range of reasons.
The normal positioning of viscera is referred to as situs solitus totalis with levocardia.
Term
Feature
dextrocardia with embryonic arrest
heart placed further to the right than normal
dextrocardia with situs solitus
cardiac apex in the right hemithorax with viscera in normal position; major vessels not rotated
dextrocardia situs inversus totalis
the heart is a mirror image of normal with reversal of major vessels; all internal organs are located as mirror images of normal
dextrocardia with situs ambiguous (also ambiguus)
heterotaxia syndrome (abnormal positioning of internal organs relative to normal)
situs inversus with isolated levocardia
the heart is present in its normal location, but the cardiac apex is in the left hemithorax
mesocardia
the heart is in the middle of the chest
The frequency of cardiac and noncardiac malformations varies with each type.
Dextrocardia can be asymptomatic in the absence of major complications.
Differential diagnosis:
(1) dextroversion (levocardia by development, with shift of heart to the right due to open space in the right hemithorax or due to a lesion in the left hemithorax that is pushing on the heart)
(2) incorrect placement of limb leads, with reversal from normal
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