The assessment of patients with situs inversus and corrected transposition of the great arteries.

INTRODUCTION

Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA) is a rare congenital heart defect. There are different subgroups according to the location of the heart in the thorax, apical position and situs.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to assess pediatric patients with situs inversus (SI) ccTGA (SI-ccTGA), a rare subgroup of this condition, in detail.

METHODS

The records of patients with SI-ccTGA followed between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2019 in our clinic were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic features, associated cardiac defects, arrhythmias and follow-up data were recorded.

RESULTS

Twenty-one out of 120 ccTGA patients had SI. The median age was 30 months (4 days-18 years). There were hemodynamically significant associated lesions in 85.7% (n=18) of the patients. A large ventricular septal defect was found in 16 patients (76.2%), severe pulmonary stenosis in 11 (52.4%), pulmonary atresia in six (28.5%), and severe tricuspid regurgitation in two (9.5%). Eleven out of 21 patients had biventricular physiology and eight had single-ventricle physiology. Bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis followed by a hemi-Mustard-Rastelli operation were planned for the remaining two patients. Twelve out of 18 patients with associated defects (66.6%) were operated and surgery was planned for three more patients (16.6%). The remaining three patients were scheduled for clinical follow-up. Arrhythmias developed in two (9.5%) patients on follow-up; ablation was performed in one of them and pacemaker implantation followed by cardiac resynchronization therapy was performed in the other. Two patients died during follow-up, one after a central shunt operation and the other preoperatively due to pneumonia and sepsis.

CONCLUSION

SI-ccTGA is not a mirror image of situs solitus ccTGA (SS-ccTGA) due to important anatomic and physiologic differences between them. SI-ccTGA patients have a lower risk of tricuspid valve regurgitation than SS-ccTGA patients. The timing of clinical presentation of these patients mainly depends on the type and severity of the associated lesions, as in all subtypes of ccTGA.