A US woman who died at 99 of natural causes unknowingly lived with her organs on the wrong side of her body due to a rare congenital condition.

Rose Marie Bentley, a pet feed store owner who passed away in October 2017, donated her body to research at a university in Portland, Oregon.

Students in an anatomy class were the first to notice many of her organs were not where they were supposed to be.

Despite multiple surgeries, her condition had not been identified.

Doctors are stunned that Mrs Bentley was able to live such a long and healthy life despite her condition.

She had situs inversus with levocardia, which means her liver, stomach and other abdominal organs were reversed right to left - the mirror image of a typical human anatomy. Her heart, however, remained in the normal position, on the left side of her body.

The condition is "surpassingly unusual", said Dr Cam Walker, an assistant professor of anatomy at Oregon Health and Science University, who helped students in his class unravel the mystery of Mrs Bentley's body.

Dr Walker told the BBC the discovery began while his students were dissecting the cardiovascular cavity and were unable to locate a major vessel. The finding started a "cascade effect" as they realised that Mrs Bentley's body was particularly unique.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47871888

Situs inversus with levocardia is rare, occurring about once in every 22,000 births. It is normally associated with life-threatening heart issues and other abnormalities, making Mrs Bentley's long life even more exceptional.

Dr Walker estimates that only one in 50 million people born with this condition live into adulthood. He and his colleagues believe Mrs Bentley may be the oldest person known to live with this condition. Scientists are aware of only two other cases where patients reached the age of 70.

"None of my colleagues had ever seen a donor with situs inversus and some of them had been teaching for more than 30 years," Dr Walker said. "I've never seen anything like that."

"The students, I think, will never forget it," he added.

Lalasticlala

and millions of people with their organs in the right position live less

She didn't know, doctors didn't know also.

Else,anxiety would have made her live less.

kelvine:
She didn't know, doctors didn't know also.

Else,anxiety would have made her live less.

True talk

If na naija them for say she be kpeans.....Intact Nigerians don't even donate their bodies or organs even when they know they are gonna die.....probably For fear of not being born the same way they left in their former life,since most if them believe in rebirth. Superstitious nonsence.