Situs inversus

Situs inversus (also called situs transversus) is a rare congenital condition in which the major visceral organs are reversed from left to right as a mirror image of the normal condition (which is known as situs solitus). In other rare cases, in a condition known as situs ambiguous or heterotaxy, situs cannot be determined.

Related Topics:
Congenital - Viscera - Organs - Mirror image - Situs solitus - Situs ambiguous - Heterotaxy

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The term situs inversus is a short form of the Latin phrase, "situs inversus viscerum" meaning "inverted position of the internal organs". Dextrocardia (the heart being located the right side of the thorax) was first recognised by Marco Severino in 1643. However, situs invertus was first described more than a century later by Matthew Baillie.

Related Topics:
Latin - Dextrocardia - Heart - Thorax - Marco Severino - Matthew Baillie

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Situs inversus is an autosomal recessive genetic condition, but in many cases is confused with a mislabelled chest X-ray. The prevalence of situs inversus varies among different populations but is less than 1 in 10,000 people.

Related Topics:
Autosomal recessive - Genetic - X-ray

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