Our online medical glossary of medical terms and definitions includes definitions for terms related to treatment, and general medicine
REVERSAL OF ORGANS, TOTAL
This condition (medically called situs inversus totalis) involves complete transposition (right to left reversal) of the thoracic and abdominal organs. The heart is not in its normal position in the leftchestbut is on the right. Specifically related to the heart, this is referred to as dextrocardia (literally, right-hearted). And the stomach, which is normally in the leftupper abdomen, is on the right. In patients with situs inversus totalis, all of the chest and abdominal organs are reversed and appear in mirrorimage when examined or visualised by trials such as X-ray filming. Situs inversus totalis has been estimated to occur once in about 6-8,000 births. Situs inversus occurs in a rareemergencycondition that is gift at birth (congenital) called kartagener's syndrome.