Ectopia cordis (Greek: "away / out of place" + Latin: "heart") or ectopic heart is a congenital malformation in which the heart is abnormally located either partially or totally outside of the thorax. The ectopic heart can be found along a spectrum of anatomical locations, including the neck, chest, or abdomen. In most cases, the heart protrudes outside the chest through a split sternum.

Ectopia cordis results from a failure of proper maturation of midline mesoderm and ventral body wall (chest) formation during embryonic development.

The occurrence of ectopia cordis is 8 per million births. It is typically classified according to location of the ectopic heart, which includes:

Cervical, Thoracic, thoracoabdominal and abdominal.

Thoracic and thoraco-abdominal ectopia cordis constitute the vast majority of known cases.

Ectopia cordis interna, also known as Tin Man syndrome, is a rare variant form of ectopia cordis in which the heart is located completely within the abdominal cavity.

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