{{Infobox medical condition (new)

| name = Situs ambiguus

| deaths =

}}

 

Individuals with situs inversus or situs solitus do not experience fatal dysfunction of their organ systems, as general [[anatomy]] and [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]] of the abdominothoracic organ-vessel systems are conserved. Due to abnormal arrangement of organs in situs ambiguus, orientation across the left-right axis of the body is disrupted early in fetal development, resulting in severely flawed cardiac development and function in 50–80% of cases. They also experience complications with [[Systemic circulation|systemic]] and [[pulmonary]] [[blood vessel]]s, significant [[morbidity]], and sometimes [[death]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = http://www.uptodate.com/contents/anatomy-clinical-manifestations-and-diagnosis-of-heterotaxy-isomerism-of-the-atrial-appendages?source=search_result&search=situs+ambiguous&selectedTitle=1~150#H10127413|title = Anatomy, clinical manifestations and diagnosis of heterotaxy (isomerism of the atrial appendages)|date = September 26, 2015|access-date = November 4, 2015|website = Up To Date|last = Lowenthal|first = A.|display-authors=etal}}</ref> All [[patient]]s with situs ambiguus lack lateralization and [[Symmetry in biology|symmetry]] of organs in the [[Abdominal cavity|abdominal]] and [[Thoracic cavity|thoracic]] cavities and are [[Clinically significant|clinically]] considered to have a form of heterotaxy syndrome.