Should this bandage be found in the lower right abdominal quadrant? Why or why not?

Last week a 12-year-old boy came to the doctor’s office complaining of severe abdominal pains and nausea. He was diagnosed with appendicitis, requiring the removal of his appendix. The boy’s medical chart indicates that he was diagnosed with situs inversus, a condition in which the organs of the thoracic and abdominal cavities are reversed from left to right. He has returned to the office for suture removal and bandage change.

Since the appendix are normally on the right side, they will be on the left in a person with situs inversus, so the bandage will be on the left.
Many people with situs inversus totalis are unaware of their unusual anatomy until they seek medical attention for an unrelated condition. The reversal of the organs may then lead to some confusion, as many signs and symptoms will be on the ‘wrong’ side. For example, if an individual with situs inversus develops appendicitis, they will present to the physician with lower left abdominal pain, since that is where their appendix lies.

CHM 2010 – Aidan Stotz Interview

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