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The pathologic anatomy of mesocardia

1971; Elsevier BV; Volume: 28; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0002-9149(71)90006-3

1879-1913

Maurice Lev, Richard R. Liberthson, Joel G. Golden, Friedrich A. O. Eckner, RenéA. Arcilla,

Congenital Heart Disease Studies

Mesocardia is that condition in which the longitudinal axis of the heart lies in the mid-sagittal plane and the heart has no apex. Thirteen cases of mesocardia are presented. There were 5 cases of mesoversion, associated with situs solitus of the viscera and normal spleen; 2 cases of presumptive mesoversion, associated with situs inversus of viscera and abnormal spleen; 4 of mixed mesocardia with atrial situs solitus and ventricular inversion, with situs solitus of viscera with or without abnormal spleens; 1 of presumptive mixed mesocardia with atrial situs inversus and normal ventricles, with situs inversus of organs with normal spleen; and 1 case of indeterminate type with situs inversus of viscera and abnormal spleen. Thus, from the stand-point of position of chambers, the type of hearts found in mesocardia resembled those found in dextrocardia and levocardia. If the spleen was normal, then the atrial situs in all cases agreed with that of the viscera and the venous return was normal. Mesocardia reflects that embryonic condition before the formed heart points to the right or left and acquires an apex.