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Various causes could explain syncope in 70% of patients with coronary disease and DCM, but differences were noted: VT was frequent in coronary disease with a bad prognosis, and ischemia could explain syncope; in DCM, different causes such as atrial tachycardia could be responsible for syncope, but the prognosis only depended on LVEF.

Myocardial T2 determined using a black-blood MRI sequence, is sufficiently sensitive to identify most of the moderate acute rejections documented with biopsy at the same time, but is also a predictor of the subsequent occurrence of such biopsy-defined rejections.

Sudden death might be the first event in patients with asymptomatic WPW. The purpose of the study was to know if the age of the patient modifies the electrophysiological characteristics of asymptomatic WPW. Transesophageal stimulation was performed on 92 asymptomatic WPW patients from the following age groups: 10-69 years (n = 14), 20-29 years (n = 33), 30-39 years (n = 15), 40-49 years (n = 17), and 50-69 years (n = 13). The procedure consisted of atrial pacing up to the second AV block, programmed atrial stimulation using one and two extrastimuli delivered on two driven rhythms in the control state, and after infusion of isoproterenol. In thefive age groups, paroxysmal junctional tachycardia occurred, respectively, in 1 (7%), 1 (3%), 2 (13%), 2 (12%) patients, and not at all in the oldest group. AF > 1 minute occurred, respectively, in 3 (21%), 9 (27%), 5 (33%), 3 (18%), and 4 (31%) patients. The dangerous form of WPW (rapid conduction in the Kent bundle > 240/min in the control state or > 300/min after isoproterenol + AF induction) occurred, respectively, in 3 (21%), 9 (27%), 4 (27%), 1 (6%), and 3 (23%) patients. In conclusion, electrophysiological data of asymptomatic WPW are not modified by age of the patient. Elderly patients remain at risk of a dangerous form of WPW; systematic evaluation of WPWis recommended in patients with an active life independent of age.

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