Medical Encyclopedia

Medical Encyclopedia

Dextrocardia

Dextrocardia

The heart is almost always located in the left side of the chest. Dextrocardia is a condition in which the heart is located in the right side of the chest. Dextrocardia can also cause the heart to develop in a mirror image of the normal heart. In the more common types of dextrocardia, heart defects are present in addition to the abnormal location of the heart.

Update Date: 4/23/2008

Updated by: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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