The more common form of transposition of the great arteries, dextro-looped TGA, consists of complete inversion of the great vessels, so that the aorta incorrectly arises from the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery incorrectly arises from the left ventricle. (In the less common type of TGA, levo-looped TGA, the ventricles are inverted instead) (Goldmuntz et al., 2002). This creates completely separate pulmonary and systemic circulatory systems, an arrangement that is incompatible with life. Patients with TGA often have atrial and/or ventricular septal defects or other types of shunting that allow some mixing between the circulations in order to support life minimally, but surgical intervention is always required. For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of dextro-looped transposition of the great arteries, see 608808.

Heterotaxy Heterotaxy ('heter' meaning 'other' and 'taxy' meaning 'arrangement'), or situs ambiguus, is a developmental condition characterized by randomization of the placement of visceral organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, and stomach. The organs are oriented randomly with respect to the left-right axis and with respect to one another (Srivastava, 1997). Heterotaxy is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. Multiple Types of Congenital Heart Defects Congenital heart defects (CHTD) are among the most common congenital defects, occurring with an incidence of 8/1,000 live births. The etiology of CHTD is complex, with contributions from environmental exposure, chromosomal abnormalities, and gene defects. Some patients with CHTD also have cardiac arrhythmias, which may be due to the anatomic defect itself or to surgical interventions (summary by van de Meerakker et al., 2011). Reviews Obler et al. (2008) reviewed published cases of double-outlet right ventricle and discussed etiology and associations. Genetic Heterogeneity of Visceral Heterotaxy See also HTX2 (605376), caused by mutation in the CFC1 gene (605194) on chromosome 2q21; HTX3 (606325), which maps to chromosome 6q21; HTX4 (613751), caused by mutation in the ACVR2B gene (602730) on chromosome 3p22; HTX5 (270100), caused by mutation in the NODAL gene (601265) on chromosome 10q22; HTX6 (614779), caused by mutation in the CCDC11 gene (614759) on chromosome 18q21; HTX7 (616749), caused by mutation in the MMP21 gene (608416) on chromosome 10q26; HTX8 (617205), caused by mutation in the PKD1L1 gene (609721) on chromosome 7p12; HTX9 (618948), caused by mutation in the MNS1 gene (610766) on chromosome 15q21; HTX10 (619607), caused by mutation in the CFAP52 gene (609804) on chromosome 17p13; HTX11 (619608), caused by mutation in the CFAP45 gene (605152) on chromosome 1q23; and HTX12 (619702), caused by mutation in the CIROP gene (619703) on chromosome 14q11. Genetic Heterogeneity of Multiple Types of Congenital Heart Defects An X-linked form of CHTD, CHTD1, is caused by mutation in the ZIC3 gene on chromosome Xq26. CHTD2 (614980) is caused by mutation in the TAB2 gene (605101) on chromosome 6q25. A form of nonsyndromic congenital heart defects associated with cardiac rhythm and conduction disturbances (CHTD3; 614954) has been mapped to chromosome 9q31. CHTD4 (615779) is caused by mutation in the NR2F2 gene (107773) on chromosome 15q26. CHTD5 (617912) is caused by mutation in the GATA5 gene (611496) on chromosome 20q13. CHTD6 (613854) is caused by mutation in the GDF1 gene (602880) on chromosome 19p13. CHTD7 (618780) is caused by mutation in the FLT4 gene (136352) on chromosome 5q35. CHTD8 (619657) is caused by mutation in the SMAD2 gene (601366) on chromosome 18q21. CHTD9 (620294) is caused by mutation in the PLXND1 gene (604282) on chromosome 3q22.

Heterotaxy ('heter' meaning 'other' and 'taxy' meaning 'arrangement'), or situs ambiguus, is a developmental condition characterized by randomization of the placement of visceral organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, and stomach. The organs are oriented randomly with respect to the left-right axis and with respect to one another (Srivastava, 1997). Heterotaxy is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of visceral heterotaxy, see HTX1 (306955).

Visceral heterotaxy-6 (HTX6) is characterized by dextrocardia with or without accompanying complex cardiovascular defects, as well as variable manifestations of visceral heterotaxy, including situs inversus totalis (Perles et al., 2012).

Autosomal visceral heterotaxy-8 (HTX8) is an autosomal recessive developmental disorder characterized by visceral situs inversus associated with complex congenital heart malformations caused by defects in the normal left-right asymmetric positioning of internal organs (summary by Vetrini et al., 2016). For a discussion of the genetic heterogeneity of visceral heterotaxy, see HTX1 (306955).

Primary ciliary dyskinesia-43 (CILD43) is a disorder characterized by a defect in motile cilia and ciliary clearance resulting in the onset of respiratory insufficiency soon after birth, and associated with recurrent upper and lower respiratory infections with chronic progressive lung disease. Patients with this disorder also develop significant obstructive hydrocephalus requiring shunting in infancy, although adult onset of neurologic symptoms may occur. Other more variable features include infertility and about a 50% chance of situs inversus or other left-right asymmetry defects. The disorder is considered to be a type of ciliopathy known as 'reduced generation of multiple motile cilia' (RGMC) (summary by Wallmeier et al., 2019). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of primary ciliary dyskinesia, CILD1 (244400).

Cardiofacioneurodevelopmental syndrome (CFNDS) is characterized by microcephaly, midline facial defects, developmental delay, and cerebellar hypoplasia. Variable cardiac defects may be present, including atrioventricular canal and ventricular septal defects. Heterotaxy has also been reported (Harel et al., 2020).

Visceral heterotaxy-10 (HTX10) is characterized by a failure to generate normal left-right visceral asymmetry during embryogenesis, which can result in heterotaxy syndrome or situs inversus totalis. Affected individuals may experience mild chronic respiratory symptoms, but do not fulfill the criteria for primary ciliary dyskinesia (see 244400). Male infertility has been reported (Ta-Shma et al., 2015; Dougherty et al., 2020). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of visceral heterotaxy, see HTX1 (306955).