An Unusual Case of Heteropagus: Autosite With a Complex Cardiac Malformation

Abstract

Asymmetrical form of conjoined twinning (heteropagus) is an extremely rare event with an incidence of 1–2 million live births. The incomplete component of heteropagus, namely, parasite, usually consists of rudimentary organs. Therefore, the autosite component of heteropagus can be separated successfully. A wide spectrum of associated congenital cardiac malformations, which are usually minor, has been described in autosites. However, a single-ventricle heart anomaly in the autosite has been reported in a very few cases. We report an unusual case of heteropagus with a complex cardiac malformation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third heteropagus case in the literature with a single-ventricle heart in the autosite.

Keywords

• autosite
• cardiac malformation
• conjoined twinning
• heteropagus
• parasite