Heart Ectopy (Differential Diagnosis)

Figure miss_19a_n.jpg and miss_19b_n.jpg: Newborn with an externally recognizable malformation which concerns the thoracic as well as the abdominal region. The view from the side ( miss_19a_n.jpg) and from the top ( miss_19b_n.jpg) shows a protruding epithelialized mass, and to the right a vertically prolapsing parenchymatous organ with a rounded apex, demonstrating that the prolapsing organ is lobulated or multilocular. The diagnosis is thoracic ectopy of the heart; the heart prolapses through a sternal cleft. This malfromation is often combined with an upper abdominal defect; in this case, combined with an epithelialized omphalocele. Heart ectopy is operable nowadays.