Acute spinal cord ischemia in a patient with Situs Inversus Totalis

Abstract

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare developmental abnormality where the organs throughout both the thoracic cavity and abdomen are a mirror image of normal anatomy, often occurring concomitantly with other genetic and developmental defects. Acute spinal cord ischemia is diagnosed based on the clinical presentation along with consistent imaging, but since clinical manifestations of acute spinal cord ischemia— rapidly progressive motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction—overlap with a wide spectrum of myelopathies, a thorough diagnostic workup with consideration of inflammatory, infectious, compressive and nutritional etiologies is required to establish the diagnosis. In this report, we present the case of an 18-year-old female patient who was admitted with acute onset of severe lower back pain, progressive weakness, paralysis, loss of sensation in both lower limbs and voiding difficulties. The diagnosis of acute spinal cord ischemia in a patient with situs inversus totalis was made. Our case highlights the spectrum of the pathological entities that can be associated with situs inversus totalis. Due to the lack of the classic signs and symptoms of sinus inversus, a diagnosis of situs inversus totalis with concomitant pathological conditions may require a more in-depth evaluation by complex imaging modalities to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the condition and its associated complications.

Keywords

• Acute spinal cord ischemia
• Situs inversus totalis
• Spinal cord