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Dextrocardia

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Clinical and Surgical Aspects of Congenital Heart Diseases

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Abstract

Dextrocardia is the first cardiac malposition that was described in the early seventeenth century. It can be explained as a right-sided heart with a base apex axis pointed toward the right side. It occurs very rarely and has 1 in 12,000 incidences. It occurs during development due to a defect in cardiac looping or laterality determination. Even though its cause has not been identified some association have been made with a defect in dynein or ciliary motility.

Patient suffering from dextrocardia can either be asymptomatic or present with a variety of symptoms, most of which can be attributed to the associated anomaly it presents with. In order to make a correct and accurate diagnosis, patients must undergo a thorough physical examination, imaging like X-ray, CT abdomen, ECG, echocardiogram, and cardiac catheterization. Interventions in these patients are comparatively difficult and require a different approach. Treatment in patients of dextrocardia majorly includes managing the underlying problems and anomalies. Special consideration must be given to associated cardiac anomalies before doing any cardiac surgery in such patients. Supportive treatment and counseling of patients and their attendants can be helpful in managing such patients in the long run.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shifa College of Medicine, Shifa Tameer e Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Ibad Ur Rehman

  2. Al Nafees Medical College, Isra University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Khadija Iqbal

  3. Kabir Medical College, Gandhara University, Peshawar, Pakistan

    Irfan Ullah

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  1. Ibad Ur Rehman
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  2. Khadija Iqbal
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  3. Irfan Ullah
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Georgios Tagarakis

  2. Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Ahmed Gheni Sarfan

  3. University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

    Hashim Talib Hashim

  4. American University of the Caribbean School, Cupecoy, Sint Maarten (Dutch part)

    Joseph Varney

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Rehman, I.U., Iqbal, K., Ullah, I. (2023). Dextrocardia. In: Tagarakis, G., Gheni Sarfan, A., Hashim, H.T., Varney, J. (eds) Clinical and Surgical Aspects of Congenital Heart Diseases . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23062-2_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23062-2_19

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-23062-2

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