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Judi Lynn

(160,218 posts)
Thu Apr 11, 2019, 12:11 AM Apr 2019

'A medical marvel': Woman lived to 99 with organs on wrong side of her body

Associated Press

Tue 9 Apr 2019 22.20 EDT Last modified on Wed 10 Apr 2019 08.48 EDT
Medical students in Oregon made the discovery only after the death of Rose Marie Bentley


Rose Marie Bentley was an avid swimmer, raised five children, helped her husband run a feed store and lived to 99. It was only after she died that medical students discovered that all her internal organs, except for her heart, were in the wrong place.

The discovery of the rare condition, which was presented this week to a conference of anatomists, was astounding — especially because Bentley had lived so long. People with the condition known as situs inversus with levocardia often have life-threatening cardiac ailments and other abnormalities, according to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

The finding was made when the class of Cameron Walker, an assistant professor of anatomy at the university in Portland, was examining the heart of a cadaver last year. They noticed the blood vessels were different. When they opened the abdominal cavity, they saw that all the other organs were on the wrong side. The unusual blood vessels helped the heart compensate.

Walker described his reaction to the find as “definitely a mix of curiosity, fascination and a sense of wanting to explore a little bit of a medical mystery — a medical marvel really — that was in front of us”.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/10/a-medical-marvel-woman-lived-to-99-with-organs-on-wrong-side-of-her-body

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Rhiannon12866

(203,011 posts)
1. Fascinating story. I once worked with a guy who said his heart was on the wrong side
Thu Apr 11, 2019, 12:36 AM
Apr 2019

He said he was meant to be a twin. I obviously don't know more details than that, but it stuck in my mind.

Rhiannon12866

(203,011 posts)
4. I never considered that it wasn't true - though now I do wonder
Thu Apr 11, 2019, 06:39 AM
Apr 2019

But it made sense to me at the time because he explained that he was meant to be a twin - but there are lots of twins and this isn't something that we regularly hear about, though I suppose it's possible after reading about this woman. Fascinating discovery!

Judi Lynn

(160,218 posts)
3. I have to admit, when I saw that headline, I was temporarily horrified. I read it to mean "outside"
Thu Apr 11, 2019, 04:26 AM
Apr 2019

her body, and was nearly done in. Luckily, I lingered on long enough to understand it meant she was somewhat reversed, as in left/right, etc.

The reason I mention that is I have felt so creepy since my first impression, it seemed maybe admitting it publicly might help ease me out of that unbearable sense of shock/dismay/horror!

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