A CASE STUDY OF SITUS INVERSUS TOTALIS

Situs solitus refers to a normal visceral structure, whereas situs ambiguous refers to a situation in which the pattern of arrangement cannot be determined. Major visceral organs are reversed from their natural locations in situs inversus, a congenital variation. It's called situs inversus totalis when it is associated with dextrocardia. We present a case of situs inversus totalis in a 43-year-old immunocompromised female patient referred to the Radiology Department of a military hospital in Makurdi, Benue State, in the North Central region of Nigeria. The patient was referred for a chest x-ray on suspicion of mitotic disease, but an abdominal ultrasound was done in addition after the discovery of dextrocardia. Abdominal ultrasound and chest radiographs revealed transposition of major visceral organs and dextrocardia, respectively. In this present case study, abdominal structures revealed reversed anatomy of visceral organs. The liver and gallbladder were found on the left side of the abdomen, while the stomach and spleen were found on the right side. An additional abdominal radiograph was obtained to further clarify organ distribution in the abdomen. This case demonstrates a typical case of situs inversus totalis and further underlines the relevance of multiple medical imaging techniques in diagnosis. An early identification of this condition has profound implications for the future care and comparative imaging of patients. Most individuals with situs inversus can live a normal life without symptoms or disability. Finally, the authors suggest that radio diagnostic professionals employ consistent use of universally accepted imaging protocols, annotations, and image orientation as an important means of correctly identifying situs inversus totalis.