Dextroversion, Mirror-Image Dextrocardia, and Laevoversion
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British Heart Journal, 1972, 34, Io85-Io98. Systematization and clinical study of 'dextroversion, mirror-image dextrocardia, and laevoversion Guillermo Anselmi, Simon Mufnoz, Pablo Blanco, Ivan Machado, and Maria V. de la Cruz From the Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Hospital Universitario, Caracas, Venezuela; and the Laboratory of Embryology, Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia, Mexico ; Current embryological and anatomical knowledge makes it possible to systematize, classify, and diagnose the malpositions of the heart by following a logical sequence. (i) The visceral situs is easily established by means of data provided by physical, radiological, and electrocardiographic studies. There is a constant relation between the venous atrium, greater lobe of the liver with suprahepatic segment of the inferior vena cava, and the visceral situs. (2) The direction of the apex: this indicates the heart position in a specific situs, determined by x-rays. Dextroversion is the malposition in situs solitus, as laevoversion is in situs inversus; dextrocardia is the normal position for the latter. (3) Truncoconal morphologies: there are 3 possibilities (a) the vessels derived from the truncus conus are not transposed, (b) the vessels are transposed, or (c) there is a common trunk. Truncoconal morphology is determined in each case by means of a biplane angiocardiogram. (4) The position of the ventricles is deduced from the truncoconal morph- ology, by applying the rule which establishes whether the anterior vessel or single trunk energes from the ventral ventricle; correlating the position of this ventricle with the situs, we find out whether or not there is ventricular inversion. (5) Associated malformations are diagnosed by clinical as well as haemodynamic studies, completing finally the diagnosis in every case. As stated in a previous paper (De la Cruz ordered sequence is adopted (Anselmi et al., ^ et al., 197I), present knowledge enables us to 1970): (i) the visceral situs, (2) the direction establish an interrelation between the visceral of the apex, (3) the truncoconal morpholo- , situs, truncoconal morphology, and the posi- gies, (4) the position of the ventricles, and tion of the chambers of the heart, which leads (5) associated defects. ,us to a sufficiently precise understanding of the malpositions, a logical classification, and Diagnosis of the visceral situs a rational diagnosis. The visceral situs is established in the embryo Out of 3000 cases of congenital heart dis- at a very early stage. Our diagnosis is based ease studied at the Hospital Universitario of on the constant relation presented for each Caracas, we have selected 4I malpositions of situs by: the venous atrium,' the greater lobe the heart (I3%); of these, I9 were dextro- of the liver, and the suprahepatic segment of * cardias, 7 were laevoversions, and I2 were the inferior vena cava; there is, therefore, a dextroversions; these cases were studied by constant hepato-cavo-atrial concordance for f haemodynamic and angiocardiographic ex- each situs. Other visceral and anatomical aninations and I0 of them by necropsy. formations may present variations in their On the basis of current knowledge of the position within a given situs, and we do not, development of the heart as well as on examination of necropsy specimens, the 1 To avoid confused expressions we will call in this b clinical diagnosis of malpositions of the heart paper venous atrium the atrial cavity characterized is if a and anatomically by the fossa ovalis, the crista termalis, considerably simplified logical and the pectineus muscles, which normally receive the venae cavae and the coronary sinus; it corresponds Received 28 January 1972. to the so-called anatomically right atrium. xo86 Anselmi, Munioz, Blanco, Machado, and de la Cruz for this reason, take them into account in the venous atrium. In practice, the location our diagnosis, as they are variable factors of the greater lobe of the liver and of the which might lead to confusion. In practice, venous atrium are easy to determine by phys- it is difficult to take into account the supra- ical examination, x-rays, and the electrocardio- hepatic segment of the inferior vena cava in gram. diagnosing the visceral situs, owing to the difficulty of visualizing this vessel except by Diagnosis of direction of apex angiographic examination, in which case it is In a given situs, the position of the apex indi- sufficient to locate the greater lobe of the cates the type of malposition. In situs solitus liver and the venous atrium. there are two possible positions (Fig. i). There are three types of situs: (a) Apex on the left: normally situated heart. a) Situs solitus, in which the greater lobe ofthe (b) Apex on the right: dextroversion. liver, the venous atrium, and the suprahepatic segment of the inferior vena cava are on the right. FIG. i The two possibilities in situs solitus: b) Situs inversus, in which the greater lobe of apex to the left, which corresponds to the the liver, the venous atrium, and the supra- normally situated heart and apex to the right, a1 hepatic segment of the inferior cava are on the which corresponds to dextroversion. Electro- left. cardiogram: note the P wave of low voltage c) The indefinite situs, where the liver is cen- but positive in lead I and the morphologies trally situated, has two lobes of equal with deep Q waves in leads I and II. The size; voltage of the ventricular complexes decreases there is atrial isomerism and heterotaxia of %I the abdominal viscerae.2 from Vi through V6. The qR morphologies corresponding to variations of potential of the The situs is easily diagnosed by palpation dorsal ventricle are recordedfrom V3 to V6; and percussion of the liver as well as by radio- rS morphologies corresponding to variations logical examlination of the hepatic shadow. It ofpotential of the ventral ventricle are re- must be kept in mind that newborn and pre- corded in the right praecordial leads (V2R mature infants have large livers, in a fairly to V5R), thus suggesting a normal ventricular central position, but in most cases it is pos- position, concordant with the situs. X-rays sible to locate the greater lobe, especially by show the shadow of the greater lobe of the x-ray examination. liver on the right, the heart in the right The position of the venous atrium is gener- hemithorax, and the apex directed towards the ally determined by the electrocardiogram. right. Both studies (electrocardiogram and This shows the spatial axis of the P wave x-rays) correspond to the case of an infant (SAP) directed towards the front, downwards, with dextroversion without associated defects. and to the left in situs solitus (Portillo et al., VA: venous atrium; AA: arterial atrium. I959), and towards the front, downwards, and to the right in situs inversus. The factor of error or doubt in some cases could be due to atrial ectopic rhythms, atrial fibrillation, or flutter. Nodal rhythm in situs solitus shows Di 02 03 the frontal AP directed upwards and to the left (-60°) and upwards and to the right SITUS SOLITUS OVR oVL oVF (+ I200) in situs inversus. The passage of a catheter through the in- VIt VT V6 ferior vena cava would lead us to the venous atrium and would indicate its position; when the catheter is inserted through the saphenous 'kR V3R V5 R vein, we are able to determine the position . .~~~AA" of the suprahepatic segment of the inferior vena cava. In some fairly frequent types of malposition, there are anomalies of systemic venous return, such as partial absence of the inferior vena cava, which make it diffi- cult to determine the suprahepatic segment of NORMALLY SITUATED DEXT this vessel; in such cases it is the venous HEART angiogram that will indicate the position of 2 The indefinite situs and displacements of the heart A due to extracardiac causes will not be discussed here. Clinical study of dextroversion, mirror-image dextrocardia, and laevoversion 1O87 In situs inversus there are two positions of area of dullness on that side enables us to the heart. (a) Apex to the right: mirror-image diagnose dextroversion in situs solitus. X-rays or simply dextrocardia; it is the normal posi- indicate the direction of the apex and show tion of the heart for situs inversus. (b) Apex the cardiac shadow on the right. The electro- to the left: laevoversion, an abnormal position cardiogram shows certain characteristics of for situs inversus. this malposition: P waves in lead I are of low The diagnosis of the direction of the apex voltage, usually diphasic of the ± type; fol- is easy to establish in most cases by clinical lowed by ventricular complexes of the QR examination. Inspection and palpation of the type in lead I or II; the transitional zone is apex in the right hemithorax; the cardiac displaced to the right and transitional RS sounds louder on the right side of the ster- complexes can be seen in Vi; morphologies num than on the left, and percussion of an of the qR or QR type are found in V5 and V6, FIG. 2 The two possibilities in situs inversus; apex to the right which corresponds to dextrocardia. Electrocardiogram: the P wave is negative in lead I and positive in aVR. The AP is directed downward, forward, and to the right, which indicates the position of the sinuatrial Q node to the left (and hence of the venous atrium). The qR morphologies in V6R correspond to variations of potential of the dorsal ventricle; rS morphologies from Vi to V6 correspond to variations ofpotential of the ventral ventricle, thus suggesting a normal ventricular position, concordant with the situs. X-rays: the shadow of the liver is seen to the left, the heart is in the right hemithorax, with the apex directed towards the right.