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Definition of Pericentric chromosome inversion

Medically reviewed by Min Clinic Staff | Updated: January 2026

Pericentric chromosome inversion: A basic type of chromosome rearrangement in which a segment that includes the centromere (and is therefore pericentric) is snipped out of a chromosome, inverted, and inserted back into the chromosome. The feature that makes it pericentric is that the breaks are on both sides of the centromere.