Situs inversus with levocardia in a 15-year-old male adolescent: a case report

Situs inversus with levocardia is a rare anomaly in which the heart is present in the left chest but the abdominal viscera are transposed. It is caused by a single incomplete penetration of an autosomal recessive gene. It is unclear what exactly causes situs inversus with levocardia. Even if situs inversus can be identified following a comprehensive physical examination, it is now possible to validate the results and search for further information and pathologies since medical imaging is so widely accessible.

A 15-year-old Oromo male child from a remote area of Bale Zone presented to the Goba Referral Hospital's medical emergency outpatient department complaining of periumbilical pain that had persisted for 4 months. He frequently came to our hospital and was admitted three times with the same problem. Objectively, there was tenderness over the left lower quadrant and periumbilical area. The sonographic evaluation discovered the transposition of the liver and spleen with cardiac apex on the left side. He received conservative treatment with ceftriaxone 1 g intravenous twice a day and metronidazole 500 mg intravenous for 5 days, and he went home improved.

Isolated levocardia is a rare form of situs inversus in which the heart is in the traditional levo position while the abdominal organs are in the dextro position. What causes situs inversus with levocardia is unknown. Despite the fact that situs inversus can be diagnosed after a thorough physical examination, medical imaging has allowed us to confirm the findings as well as understand more about diseases. Due to the severity of an underlying heart defect, situs inversus with levocardia has a dismal prognosis.