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

Treatment of unprotected left main coronary artery stenosis with a drug eluting stent in a heart transplant patient with allograft vasculopathy

G Matos, L Steen, F Leya

High risk angioplasty with drug eluting stent placement into an unprotected left main coronary artery in a heart transplant recipient with allograft vasculopathy is reported. Ten month angiographic follow up is reported. The literature is reviewed and current methods of revascularisation are described in detail. This is the first report of drug eluting stent use in this clinical situation.

(Heart 2005;91:e11) www.heartjnl.com/cgi/content/full/91/2/e11

Hypoplastic coronary artery disease: report of one case

N Amabile, A Fraisse, J Quilici

Hypoplastic coronary artery disease (HCAD) is a rare abnormality with a high rate of sudden death and poor outcome. HCAD was revealed by myocardial infarction in a teenager with objective evidence of silent ischaemia on myocardial scintigraphy. After four years of follow up, he suddenly collapsed during exercise and subsequently died. Although HCAD is very uncommon, it should be actively excluded in children and young adults who experience sudden cardiac death. Aggressive treatment such as implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or heart transplantation may be indicated for this rare coronary abnormality.

(Heart 2005;91:e12) www.heartjnl.com/cgi/content/full/91/2/e12

Contained myocardial rupture: a variant linking complete and incomplete rupture

T A Helmy, W J Nicholson, S Lick, B F Uretsky

Myocardial rupture is an uncommon complication of myocardial infarction, often with devastating haemodynamic consequences. Although rupture is usually fatal, when patients do survive, the majority present with a pseudoaneurysm in which the rupture is sealed by a haematoma on the epicardial surface of the heart. Cases in which all myocardial layers are dissected except the epicardium or visceral pericardium have been included under this subheading. The authors describe such a case and suggest the pathological description of a “contained myocardial rupture”. This link between complete and incomplete myocardial rupture may allow a more conservative management approach to be pursued.

(Heart 2005;91:e13) www.heartjnl.com/cgi/content/full/91/2/e13