[Myocardial infarct in a 15-year-old boy. Normal coronary arteriogram; value of cutaneous biopsy]

A 15 year-old boy was admitted for myocardial infarction, of spontaneous occurrence, complicated by atrio-ventricular block and cardiac failure. Three months later, a ventricular-wall aneurysm was demonstrated by angiography, and the coronary arteries found to be normal. Skin biopsy revealed very premature signs of ageing. The comments concerned the frequency and aetiology of these infarctions in adolescents, the pathogenic problems in relation with the absent coronary obstruction, and the interest of skin biopsy, the changes of which might suggest an abnormally premature ageing of the coronary artery wall, a possible starting point for thrombosis.