[Coronary disease in patients after heart transplantation]. / Coronaropathie du transplanté.

ABSTRACT

The thinking about coronary artery disease in heart transplant patients has changed recently. This term includes not only the traditional accelerated delayed atherosclerosis of the transplant, but also proximal inflammatory vascularitis associated with severe acute rejection and distal vascularitis, which is independent of interstitial rejection. This term is also used to describe purely atheromatous lesions of the large coronary vessels which usually occur in high risk patients. The morphology, significance and prognosis of these various vascular lesions are discussed on the basis of material obtained from biopsies, transplantectomies and autopsies in the cardiovascular surgery service of the la Pitié Hospital.