Welcome to our Annual Special Clinical Issue on PCI!

This year alone, Cath Lab Digest has covered cardiac gene therapy, homocysteine and coronary restenosis, new imaging procedures, and alcohol septal ablation. That list covers only a few of the paths that are opening up to cardiac cath labs everywhere, or are looming on the horizon. In this issue, we bring you Dr. Gregg Stone’s article on clinical trials recently concluded and/or currently underway for various drug-eluting stents. All eyes are turned hopefully towards the wonders seemingly promised by these stents. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Dr. Dean Kereiakes at the March 2002 American College of Cardiology conference. Dr. Kereiakes shared some of the exciting data behind photodynamic therapy, a procedure that may help patients with atherosclerotic plaque at a much earlier stage of disease. One of the very first centers to utilize the new Frontrunner CTO Catheter, Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares their experience with chronic total occlusions and offers a sample case study involving this newly approved catheter. Enjoy! Rebecca Yospyn Managing Editor cathlabdigest@aol.com Tel. 248-360-2777

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