Dextrocardia With Situs Inversus Totalis in a Tanzanian Male Cadaver: A Rare Variation

Abstract

Dextrocardia with Situs Inversus is a rare heart condition characterized by not only variant positioning of the heart, but also the mirror-image reversal of the organs in the chest and abdominal cavity. Dextrocardia with Situs inversus totalis was detected incidentally in a 30-35-year-old male cadaver in our daily routine dissection for undergraduate medical students. We found that the right lung was bi-lobed and had a cardiac notch while the left lung had three lobes. The liver and gallbladder were positioned on left and the spleen on the right. The arch of aorta passed posteriorly to the right and azygous vein arched on the left bronchus to enter the superior vena cava on the left side. Situs inversus, though rare condition, is dangerous if not diagnosed prior to surgery.