The Developmental Anatomy of the Heart and the Etiology of Congenital Heart Disease

Abstract

There is a correlation between situs inversus, transposition and other congenital heart defects. The observation of situs inversus, with or without heart defect, in one member of a family, and of transposition or other heart defects in other members may be regarded as conclusive evidence that the genetic factors in visceral asymmetry and in the development of the heart influence each other mutually. The region affected primarily by the genetic factors in heart defects may vary. They act as a part of the genetic complex in visceral asymmetry, which may integrate the development of different parts of the viscera.