Objective: To understand the pathological features of congenital dextrocardia and explore its diagnosis and surgical treatment.
Method: The clinical data from 32 cases of congenital dextrocardia were collected to understand the major cardiac anomalies and evaluate the diagnostic approaches of this disease. Analysis of the effect of surgical treatment was also conducted in 16 among the 32 cases.
Results: Complex anomalies such as transposition of great artery (TGA), single ventricle (SV), common trunk (CMT) formation for the arteries were found in 8 out of 13 mirror-image dextrocardia cases, most of the dextroversion (DV) accompanied by physiological correction of the TGA (C-TGA, 11/17) which often involved ventricle septal defect (VSD) and pulmonary stenosis (PS, 8/11). Another 2 cases diagnosed as isolated dextrocardia (IDC) also suffered TGA combined with complete atrioventricular canal (CAVC) defect. Definite diagnoses of dextrocardia (DC) were derived from X-ray examination, including thoracic-abdominal plain X-ray film, hilar computed tomography, high kV chest plain film or ultrafast CT, echocardiogram and angiography. Fontan operation was performed in 8 cases and anatomical correction in 7 with surgical exploration in 1 case. Thirteen patients survived, among whom 8 had complex cardiac defect and 5 of them received modified Fontan operation or total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC).
Conclusions: Complex cardiac anomalies are not rare in mirror-image dextrocardia, and dextroversion and isolated dextrocardia were usually related to C-TGA+VSD+PS and TGA+CAVC respectively. X-ray examinations are of great significance in the diagnoses and classification of dextrocardia, and echocardiogram and ultrafast CT constitute the major modalities for clarifying intracardial defect and surgical indications. Fontan operations, including modified Fontan and total cavopulmonary connection, might be hopeful surgical treatment for complex congenital heart disease when indications are carefully evaluated.