Situs Inversus of the Abdominal Viscera with Levocardia

Abstract

A search of the literature has revealed the reports of only 14 cases of situs inversus of the abdominal viscera with levocardia. Eight additional cases are presented in this paper. Angiocardiography and/or heart catheterization was carried out on 6 of these and a Blalock-Taussig operation was performed subsequently on each patient. The autopsy findings in 2 instances, together with the results of special investigations in surviving patients, indicate that the malformations are of a bizarre nature. Anomalies of the venous return to the heart are particularly common and variable degrees of transposition of the great vessels are postulated.