This journal has always championed the detailed study of morphology of malformations of the heart as a basis for treatment and particularly the consideration of that morphology from the point of view of the surgeon. In this issue, you will find a review by Martins and colleagues of the surgical anatomy of the left ventricular outflow tract in the setting of a discordant ventriculo-arterial connectionReference Martins, Tran, Price, Tsang and Cook1. Here the authors apply the principle of a combined morphological and surgical study to a difficult clinical problem and discuss the surgical options and their approach to maximise the number of patients who can be repaired without an external conduit. As they make clear, there are numerous factors that have to be considered when determining the surgical approach in each individual patient. In the tradition of Cardiology in the Young, they provide exquisite illustrations of the morphology to support their analysis. These together with the authors’ commentary provide a comprehensive overview of the management of this malformation.
There is much else of surgical interest in this issue of Cardiology in the Young. You will find a variety of original articles, including three that were originally presented at the inaugural meeting of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery in Washington DC in May 2007. Cardiology in the Young welcomes articles on the surgical management of heart disease in the young, indeed we are interested in publishing on all aspects of the etiology, diagnosis and management of heart disease in the young. So this issue also contains articles on interventional cardiology and the medical management of children with heart disease. There are also a series of fascinating and striking images of cardiac anomalies. All in all an eclectic and I hope stimulating mix of topics, which you will enjoy reading.
We seek to publish articles on all aspects heart disease in the young in this journal. All of us who work with children with heart disease have the objective of providing morphological and functional solutions for their problems, but of course psychological well-being is also an important aim. Indeed, functional outcomes depend not just upon the physical repair and function of the heart and circulation, but also, to a significant extent, the child and family’s perception of what they can achieveReference Kamphus, Ottenkamp and Vliegen2, Reference Moons, Van Deyk, De Geest, Gewillig and Budts3. No programme for the treatment of heart disease in the young can be complete without attention being paid to the psychological and social well-being of the affected children. This issue includes a paper on just such a topic, the benefits of participation in competitive sport by children after heart and heart-lung transplantationReference Wray and Lunnon-Wood4.
We have also included the abstracts from the 11th Annual Postgraduate Course on Pediatric Cardiovascular Disease held in Scottsdale Arizona in February of this year. As I write this, in the midst of winter in a grey and damp London, I am looking forward to a few days in the warmth of Arizona, an inspiring conference and a get-together of our editorial board as I prepare leave to attend that very meeting.
