Approach to dextrocardia in adults: review

Abstract

Objective: The educational objectives of this article are to describe an approach to analyzing imaging studies in adults with dextrocardia and to present the appearances of the most common underlying disorders. Topics reviewed include the morphology of the cardiac chambers, the concept of situs, and the relevant embryologic principles. The disorders discussed include situs inversus totalis (mirror-image dextrocardia), dextroversion, congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries, and polysplenia syndrome.

Conclusion: In this article we describe an approach to dextrocardia in adult patients and illustrate the imaging manifestations of the most common underlying disorders.