
What is situs inversus in anatomy?
Summary Summary. Listen. Situs inversus is a condition in which the arrangement of the internal organs is a mirror image of normal anatomy. It can occur alone (isolated, with no other abnormalities or conditions) or it can occur as part of a syndrome with various other defects.
What is the prognosis of situs inversus?
Isolated situs inversus has an excellent prognosis, typically with an uneventful prenatal and postnatal course. When situs inversus is associated with an underlying condition or syndrome, the prognosis may depend on that of the underlying condition present.
What is the treatment for situs inversus?
Treatment Treatment. Listen. In isolated situs inversus, no treatment may be necessary. When situs inversus is associated with another condition, treatment may depend on the associated condition and the signs and symptoms present in the affected person.
What tests are used to diagnose situs inversus during pregnancy?
For fetuses diagnosed with situs inversus on prenatal ultrasound, additional testing such as fetal MRI and fetal echocardiography may provide additional information about the development of the fetus, which may affect management and prognosis.

What are the long term effects of situs inversus?
Because the organs can be functional in situs inversus, it's possible for a person to have no complications. Other patients can experience cardiac dysfunction or a lung condition called primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), which causes mucus buildup in the lungs. This can lead to chronic bronchitis and sinusitis.
Is situs inversus a disability?
Additionally, the position of the heart chambers as well as the visceral organs such as the liver and spleen is reversed (situs inversus). However, most affected individuals can live a normal life without associated symptoms or disability.
What organs are affected by situs inversus?
In situs inversus, your organs develop in a right-left formation. For example, the left atrium of your heart and your left lung may be on the right side of your chest. In your abdomen, your liver and gallbladder may be on the left side of your body instead of your right side.
Can situs inversus harm you?
In the absence of congenital heart defects, individuals with situs inversus are homeostatically normal, and can live standard healthy lives, without any complications related to their medical condition.
How long can you live with situs inversus?
It is commonly associated with both congenital heart disease and splenic abnormalities, either asplenia or polysplenia. The prognosis is poor, and only about 5% to 13% of patients survive more than 5 years.
Why is situs inversus a symptom of OCD?
The underlying basis for situs inversus totalis in PCD has been attributed to dysfunction of the embryonic nodal cilia that play a key role in directing normal rotation of viscera. Without functional nodal cilia, thoracoabdominal laterality becomes random.
How many people in the world have situs inversus?
Situs inversus is the mirror-image transposition of the organs. This is a rare condition, affecting 1:10,000 people. Laterality is established early in foetal development and over 100 genes have been linked to laterality defects. Any failure in the normal left-right asymmetry stands in a spectrum of disturbances.
Can you get pregnant if you have situs inversus?
Situs inversus with pregnancy is a rare clinical entity. However, these patients are likely to have uneventful course during pregnancy.
What gene causes situs inversus?
Mutations in the DNAH11 (axonemal heavy chain dynein type 11) gene cause one form of situs inversus totalis and most likely primary ciliary dyskinesia.
What happens if your organs are reversed?
This normal arrangement of the organs is known as "situs solitus." Rarely, the orientation of the internal organs is completely flipped from right to left, a situation known as "situs inversus." This mirror-image orientation usually does not cause any health problems, unless it occurs as part of a syndrome affecting ...
Is anyone have heart on right side?
Dextrocardia is a condition in which the heart is pointed toward the right side of the chest. Normally, the heart points toward the left. The condition is present at birth (congenital).
What happens if the heart is in right side?
What is dextrocardia? In dextrocardia, the heart is positioned on the right side of the chest instead of its normal position on the left side. Dextrocardia on its own does not usually cause problems, but it tends to occur with other conditions that can have serious effects on the heart, lungs and other vital organs.
How many people in the world have situs inversus?
Situs inversus is the mirror-image transposition of the organs. This is a rare condition, affecting 1:10,000 people. Laterality is established early in foetal development and over 100 genes have been linked to laterality defects. Any failure in the normal left-right asymmetry stands in a spectrum of disturbances.
Can you get pregnant with situs inversus?
Situs inversus with pregnancy is a rare clinical entity. However, these patients are likely to have uneventful course during pregnancy.
What gene causes situs inversus?
Mutations in the DNAH11 (axonemal heavy chain dynein type 11) gene cause one form of situs inversus totalis and most likely primary ciliary dyskinesia.
How rare is situs inversus with dextrocardia?
Dextrocardia is a very rare condition, and studies have revealed incidence rates of dextrocardia to be around 1 in 12000 pregnancies. [7] Kartagener syndrome has an incidence rate of about 1 in 30,000 live births, and situs inversus totalis was seen in around 50% of patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia.
What causes situs inversus?
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.
What is the subtype of situs ambiguous?
Another subtype is situs ambiguous. This occurs when several organs are in abnormal positions, but not in an easily defined pattern.
What is the condition where the heart is on the left side?
A person is said to have levocardia if the heart is on the left side, yet the other organs are flipped. Levocardia is rarer and often associated with other cardiac abnormalities, according to an article in the Journal of Anatomy & Physiology. Another subtype is situs ambiguous.
Is it important to know if you have situs inversus?
Knowing if you have situs inversus is important if you undergo another surgical procedure.
Can a doctor use imaging to determine the exact type of situs inversus?
Doctors can use imaging studies to determine the exact type of situs inversus.
Is Situs inversus rare?
And the stomach is on the right side of the body instead of the left. Situs inversus is a very rare condition. According to an article in the journal Heart Views. , it occurs in an estimated 1 in 10,000 people.
