Congenital cyanotic heart disease with situs inversus totalis: an autopsy case report
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Published on: February 11, 2022
Asurappulige Dayapala1, Virendra Kumar
1Department of Pathology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Insights
Sudden deaths from congenital heart disease are rarely autopsied. This case highlights challenges forensic pathologists face with rare cardiac anomalies like situs inversus and transposition of great arteries.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Pathology
- Cardiology
- Medical Genetics
Background:
- Sudden deaths due to congenital heart disease (CHD) are infrequently autopsied by forensic pathologists.
- Diagnosed cases are often released from hospitals without autopsy, limiting data on CHD mortality.
- Forensic pathologists may lack updated knowledge of rare cardiac anomalies, complicating autopsy interpretation.
Observation:
- This case involved a sudden death attributed to congenital heart disease.
- The autopsy revealed situs inversus with transposition of great arteries.
- Additional congenital cardiac abnormalities and variants were identified.
Findings:
- The study details the autopsy findings in a case of situs inversus with complex congenital heart disease.
- Specific anomalies discussed include transposition of great arteries, single ventricle, and double outlet right ventricle.
- The complexity of these cardiac defects presents diagnostic challenges.
Implications:
- Highlights the need for enhanced forensic pathology training in congenital cardiac anomalies.
- Underscores the importance of autopsy in understanding sudden cardiac death in undiagnosed CHD.
- Emphasizes the value of detailed case studies for rare cardiovascular malformations.
Abstract:
Sudden deaths because of congenital heart diseases are infrequently referred to the forensic pathologist for autopsy. Many of such deaths, if already diagnosed are released directly from the hospital without autopsy. Even forensic pathologists face a few difficulties in performing the autopsy on such infrequent cases, as they are not always updated with the anatomy of anomalies. While dealing with such cases, the concerned forensic pathologist is compelled to refer literature and textbooks again to understand the nature of developmental defects. This is especially so when dealing with cases of situs inversus accompanied by transposition of great arteries and other congenital cardiac abnormalities and variants such as single ventricle, double outlet right ventricle, Taussig-Bing variety etc. In the present case also, situs inversus with transposition of great vessels and other anomalies have been noted and studied.
