Unusual long survival in a case of heterotaxy and polysplenia

We present the case of a 59-year-old female patient with invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast (luminal A type) and CT findings of heterotaxy syndrome with polysplenia. The most remarkable anomalies identified were a left inferior vena cava draining into the hemiazygos vein, absent inferior vena cava at the thoracic level, and hepatic veins directly draining into the right atrium. Moreover, an atrial septal defect was identified, explaining the pulmonary hypertension of unknown cause previously detected in the patient. The relevance of this case lies in the unusual anatomical abnormalities found and the large patient survival, having in to account the great rate of heterotaxy syndrome mortality in the first years of life.
Source: Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy - Category: Anatomy Source Type: research