Malik Rabiya, Zilberman Mark V, Tang Liwen, Miller Susan, Pandian Natesa G
Cardiovascular Center, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
Echocardiography. 2015 Mar;32(3):589-91. doi: 10.1111/echo.12843. Epub 2014 Nov 20.
Ectopia cordis, defined as partial or complete displacement of the heart outside of the thoracic cavity, is a rare congenital malformation. If not surgically corrected during the early years of life, ectopia cordis can prove to be a fatal abnormality. However, due to the presence of multiple intracardiac and extracardiac malformations, a corrective surgery might not always be successful. The pathology of ectopia cordis with a double outlet right ventricle, large ventricular septal defect, malposed great arteries and left ventricular hypoplasia is discussed, highlighting the complexities involved in such a rare disorder.