Dextrocardia is a condition in which the heart is pointed toward the right side of the chest instead of normally pointing to the left. It is present at birth (congenital).
Alternative NamesDetroversion; Dextrorotation
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsDuring the early weeks of pregnancy, the baby's heart develops. Sometimes, for reasons that are unclear, the heart develops and turns so that it points to the right side of the chest instead of the left side.
There are several types of dextrocardia. Most involve other defects of the heart and abdomen area.
The simplest type of dextrocardia is one in which the heart is a mirror image of the normal heart, and no other problems exist. This condition is rare. Usually in this case, the organs of the abdomen and the lungs will also be arranged in a mirror image of their normal position. For example, the liver will be on the left side instead of the right.
Some people with mirror-image dextrocardia have a problem with the fine hairs (cilia) that filter the air going into their nose and air passages. This condition is called Kartagener syndrome.
In the more common types of dextrocardia, heart defects are present in addition to the abnormal location of the heart. The most common heart defects seen with dextrocardia include:
The abdominal and chest organs in babies with dextrocardia may be abnormal and may not work correctly. A very serious syndrome that appears with dextrocardia is called heterotaxy. Heterotaxy means the organs (atria of the heart and abdominal organs) are not in their usual places.
In heterotaxy, the spleen may be completely missing. Because the spleen is an extremely important part of the immune system, babies born without a spleen are in danger of severe bacterial infections and death. In another form of heterotaxy several small spleens exist, but may not work correctly.
Heterotaxy may also include:
Possible risk factors for dextrocardia include:
There are no symptoms of dextrocardia if the heart is normal.
Conditions that may include dextrocardia may cause the following symptoms:
There are no signs of dextrocardia if the heart is normal.
Conditions that can include dextrocardia may cause the following signs:
Tests to diagnose dextrocardia include:
A complete mirror image dextrocardia with no heart defects requires no treatment. It is important, however, to let the child's health care provider know the heart is on the right side of the chest. This information can be important in some exams and tests.
Treatment for conditions that include dextrocardia depends on whether the infant has other heart or physical problems in addition to dextrocardia.
If heart defects are present with dextrocardia, the baby will most likely need surgery. Critically ill babies may need treatment with medication before surgery. These medications help the baby grow larger so surgery is less difficult to perform.
Medications include:
The baby might also need surgery to correct problems in the organs of the abdomen.
Children with Kartagener syndrome will need repeated treatment with antibiotics for sinus infections.
Children with a missing or abnormal spleen need long-term antibiotics.
All children with heart defects should get antibiotics before surgeries or dental treatments.
See also:
Expectations (prognosis)Babies with simple dextrocardia have a normal life expectancy and should have no problems related to the location of the heart.
When dextrocardia appears with other defects in the heart and elsewhere in the body, how well the baby does depends on the severity of the problems.
The Death Rate in babies and children without a spleen may be high due to infections. This is at least partially preventable with daily antibiotics.
ComplicationsComplications depend on whether dextrocardia is part of a larger syndrome, and whether other problems exist in the body. Complications include:
Call your health care provider if your baby:
Seek emergency care if your baby has:
Some syndromes that include dextrocardia may run in families. If you have a family history of heterotaxy, talk to your health care provider before becoming pregnant.
While there are no known ways to prevent dextrocardia, avoiding the use of illegal drugs (especially cocaine) before and during pregnancy may lower the risk of this problem.
Talk to your health care provider if you have diabetes, because it may contribute to your risk of having a child with certain forms of dextrocardia.
ReferencesKliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, Zitelli BJ, Davis HW. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2007:chap 431
Park MK. Park: Pediatric Cardiology for Practitioners, 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby Elsevier; 2008:chap 16.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 04/30/2010
Kurt R. Schumacher, MD, Pediatric Cardiology, University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center, Ann Arbor, MI. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
dextrocardia is a neologism based on Latin components.
dextrocardia situs inversus if the heart is completely inversed by 180 degree :)
My ex husband has situs inversus and dextrocardia and he is not able to have children.
yes
Dextrocardia affects about 1 in every 12,000 people. This translates to approximately 0.008% of the global population.
Dextrocardia is a rare condition where the heart is positioned on the right side of the chest instead of the left. While it is difficult to provide an exact number of people with dextrocardia worldwide, it is estimated to occur in about 1 in 12,000 births.
Dextrocardia is not typically genetic, but rather a rare condition where the heart is positioned in a mirror-image orientation within the chest. It usually occurs during fetal development for unknown reasons. However, there are some genetic syndromes that can be associated with dextrocardia as a feature.
This condition is referred to as dextrocardia.
Dextrocardia may be inherited. It seems to run in some families. If you have it, you should talk to your doctor before becoming pregnant. Cocaine use also seems to cause it. In the case of cocaine use, it would be called congenital.
Dextrocardia
its when the heart is on the right side of the body and not on the left its when the heart is on the right side of the body and not on the left
Yes, the condition is called "dextrocardia."