Baramulla woman with organs on opposite side leads normal life

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 19

Doctors in Kashmir have found a woman having internal organs in the thorax and abdomen placed on the opposite side to where they should be; a rare abnormality called situs inversus.

The condition of Mukhti, 70, of Heevan village of Baramulla district is beyond mere dextrocardia, which means only the heart is on the opposite side. In her case, all internal organs are on the opposite side.

“The stomach and spleen, for instance, are on the right, and the liver is now on left. Other organs also are in a complete contrast to where they should be. She is a case of situs inversus totalis (complete anatomical reversal),” said Dr Iqbal Salim, Professor of Surgery, at SMHS Hospital.

Mukhti had developed severe pain due to the growth of multiple stones in the gallbladder and the common bile duct (CBD). She was admitted to SMHS Hospital on October 4 and doctors decided to clean the CBD of stones before removing the gallbladder.

To the surprise of the gastroenterologists, the woman’s CBD was found on the left side instead of the right. After five challenging attempts by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), they could not completely clean the CBD, which was left with two more stones measuring 1 cm and 22 mm.

The patient was shifted to the surgery department, where surgeons took up the challenge and removed the CBD stones and gallbladder in a 140-minute laparoscopic procedure.

Dr Salim says cleaning the CBD and removal of gallbladder in a situs inversus patient through laparoscopy is a challenge. “We have to recreate the positioning of the organs inside the patient. Then dissector, which usually is in surgeon’s right hand, had to be manoeuvred through left hand. Everything goes reverse in such patients,” he said.

Dr Tanveer Yatoo, junior surgeon, SMHS Hospital, says, “All patients apparently looked similar here but beneath the skin, Mukhti is a different individual.”

Some 10 years ago, she had undergone ultrasonography at Baramulla when her family dismissed the recorded signs of her liver’s position as an error committed by the technician. “I never faced any problem with the abnormality doctors have found in me,” said Mukhti.

The doctors have given Mukhti a separate identity card to notify people about her rare condition. The occurrence of sinus inversus totalis is one in every 10,000 births.

Rare condition

• Mukhti (70) of Heevan village of Baramulla district has a rare abnormality called situs inversus
• Her condition is beyond mere dextrocardia, which means only the heart is on the opposite side. In her case, all internal organs are on the opposite side
• The abnormality was detected on October 4, when she developed severe pain due to the growth of multiple stones in the gallbladder and was admitted to SMHS Hospital