Volume 5 Issue 3, March 2008

The management of patients with corticosteroid-dependent recurrent pericarditis is problematic. In this opinion piece, Imazio et al. assert that corticosteroids are over-prescribed, particularly in cases where the disease etiology is unknown. The authors discuss the weak evidence-base for the use of corticosteroids in pericarditis, and propose a treatment strategy for the minority of cases where these agents are indicated.

Surgical valve repair or replacement is currently the 'gold standard' treatment for prosthetic paravalvular leaks, despite the fact that the risks of reoperation frequently prohibit surgery in elderly patients with comorbidities. Bhindi and colleagues review the emerging field of percutaneous leak closure—an attractive, less-invasive alternative for the treatment of paravalvular leaks in high-risk patients.

Magnetically guided navigation of a wire or devicein vivocould increase the accuracy of angiographic intervention significantly, especially in tortuous or chronic occluded arteries. In this Technology Insight, Ramcharitar and colleagues examine this novel technology and provide an up-to-date analysis of what is currently possible and an insight to what the future holds.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common inherited cardiac disorder. In this Review the authors summarize current knowledge on the genetics, disease mechanisms, and correlations between phenotype and genotype in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and discuss the implications of genetic testing in routine clinical practice.

Myocardial involvement is a rare complication of tuberculosis. Here, Khurana et al. report a case involving a 30-year-old man who presented with ventricular tachycardia. He was successfully treated with antiarrhythmic, antituberculous and steroid pharmacotherapy followed by implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator.