Aortic valve replacement for dextrocardia with situs inversus totalis

Dextrocardia is a rare congenital cardiac positional anomaly. A 74-year-old woman was referred for aortic regurgitation (AR). Chest X-ray revealed a mildly enlarged heart that directed to the right side. Transthoracic echocardiography showed AR due to cusp prolapse with a dilated left ventricle and reduced wall motion. Computed tomography demonstrated the heart and great vessels in a mirror image of their normal positions. A median sternotomy performed by the surgeon standing on the right side of the patient. After establishing a cardiopulmonary bypass, the surgeon moved to the left side of the patient, and then performed aortic valve replacement.

Automated summary

Dextrocardia is a rare congenital cardiac positional anomaly that requires special consideration of heart and surgeon positions during surgery. In this case, a 74-year-old woman was referred for aortic regurgitation and underwent aortic valve replacement surgery.