A 26-year-old man, whose liver and heart was on the wrong side of his body, was operated upon in Choithram hospital in Indore city of Madhya Pradesh on 28th August so that he could donate organs to his father.
This is a rare condition; ‘liver on left side, instead of right
This is a rare condition called ‘situs inversus totalis‘, which can be found in one out of 10,000 people. According to reports, his father is 59 years old, who is also suffering from liver cirrhosis.
As cited by PTI, the hospital’s organ transplant surgeon Dr Sudesh Sharda was quoted saying, “The liver is usually found on the right side, but due to a congenital condition, it was on the left side for Prakhar. A team of four doctors performed the surgery, which if not done in time, could have caused danger to the life of the recipient”.
Sharda also claimed that in all over the world only five such transplants had been performed till now. He added, the man has been discharged while his father will also be discharged soon.
Brief about the situs inversus totalis condition
Medicine.net says, Situs inversus totalis is a condition in which internal organs are totally reversed. “Situs Inversus totalis has been estimated to occur once in about 6-8,000 births. Situs inversus occurs in a rare abnormal condition that is present at birth (congenital) called Kartagener’s syndrome”.
This condition can occur alone without any other abnormalities or can occur as part of a syndrome with various other defects. According to the US Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD), “Congenital heart defects are present in about 5-10% of affected people. The underlying cause and genetics of situs inversus are complex. Familial cases have been reported,”
“Many affected people have no associated health issues when the condition is isolated. When situs inversus occurs in association with other conditions such as Kartagener syndrome or primary ciliary dyskinesia, additional signs and symptoms relating to these conditions will be present,” GARD says.
How can the test be done in this condition?
Diagnosis of this condition is done through a physical examination and radiographic imaging of the chest and abdomen and electrocardiography. “The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition,” GARD says.
“In isolated situs inversus, no treatment may be necessary. When situs inversus is associated with another condition, treatment may depend on the associated condition and the signs and symptoms present in the affected person,” it says.
GARD also said that the long-term outlook for the people with the condition situs inversus depends on whether it is isolated, or is associated with additional defects which are affecting the heart or other parts of the body.
