Prepare for the Fetal Echocardiography Test. Utilize flashcards and multiple-choice questions that come with hints and explanations. Ace your exam preparation!

Multiple Choice

What term describes the normal arrangement of thoracic and abdominal organs?

Understanding left-right positioning of organs is what this question targets. The normal arrangement of thoracic and abdominal organs is called situs solitus. In situs solitus, the heart sits on the left with its apex pointing left, the stomach and spleen are on the left, and the liver is on the right, reflecting the standard left–right asymmetry of the body. If the organs were mirrored, that would be situs inversus totalis; if the arrangement is unclear or mixed, it’s situs ambiguous. So, the best term for the normal pattern is situs solitus.

Understanding left-right positioning of organs is what this question targets. The normal arrangement of thoracic and abdominal organs is called situs solitus. In situs solitus, the heart sits on the left with its apex pointing left, the stomach and spleen are on the left, and the liver is on the right, reflecting the standard left–right asymmetry of the body. If the organs were mirrored, that would be situs inversus totalis; if the arrangement is unclear or mixed, it’s situs ambiguous. So, the best term for the normal pattern is situs solitus.