Shane was diagnosed with Dextrocardia, which is a condition where the heart is abnormally positioned in the chest and points to the right side. Normally, the heart is pointing to the left side. Shane also suffered from Heterotaxy Syndrome, which can also appear with dextrocardia. This category of abnormalities can include those of the abdomen and chest organs. With this syndrome, organs are incorrectly located or positioned or even absent. For example, the absence of the spleen, entitled asplenia, is associated with Bilateral Trilobed Lungs.
Normally, a human lung has two parts or lobes (“bilobed”) left side and a trilobed or three-lobed lung on the right side. In Shane’s particular case, his liver was located in his mid abdomen and he had no spleen. He aslo had bilateral trilobed lungs. In addition, Shane’s diagnosis included Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return. In this condition, Shane’s four pulmonary veins, which carry blood from the lungs to the heart, were not attached to the left atrium of the heart as they should be in the typical human body. Instead, these pulmonary veins drained into another part of his body. In Shane’s case, these veins drained into his liver, preventing proper circulation and lack of oxygenation to his blood stream. During surgery, a shunt was placed between his great vessels to increase the amount of pulmonary blood flow. The cardiac MRI, among other things, showed that Shane had a large Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) which is typically known as a hole in the heart. He also had a large hole in the Inter-atrial septum, which divides the upper two chambers of the heart. Lastly, the MRI found that in Shane’s Chest/Lung region he suffered from diffuse interstitial edema, which affects the passage of air flow and oxygen in the pulmonary system, which then affects other organs and tissues.
