The following electronic only articles are published in conjunction with this issue of Heart.

Use of the transseptal puncture in transcatheter closure of long tunnel-type patent foramen ovale

C J McMahon, H G El Said, C E Mullins

Two patients with long tunnel-type patent foramen ovale presented for elective transcatheter closure following transient ischaemic attack and stroke. Right to left shunting was confirmed on transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography. A new technique that used a transseptal procedure was devised to enable closure of the tunnel-type patent foramen ovale using the CardioSEAL transseptal occluder to avoid “bunching up” of the device and residual transatrial shunting.

(Heart 2002;88:e3) www.heartjnl.com/cgi/content/full/88/2/e3

Endovascular stent repair for a dissecting thoracoabdominal aneurysm is feasible in the setting of a district general hospital: a multidisciplinary approach

M J S Zaman, V Carre, S Parvin, D Shepherd, J Radvan

A patient presented to a district general hospital with a type B dissection of the aorta. He was deemed too unwell for surgical intervention. An endovascular stent repair was successfully carried out. The case shows that such a procedure can be safely performed by a multidisciplinary team within a district general hospital.

(Heart 2002;88:e4) www.heartjnl.com/cgi/content/full/88/2/e4