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Evaluation of Left Ventricular Structure and Function using 3D Echocardiography
Published on: October 28, 2020
The effect of exercise training on left ventricular function in young elite athletes
Alessio De Luca1, Laura Stefani, Gianni Pedrizzetti
1Sport Medicine Centre, University of Florence, V. delle Oblate, 4, 50134 Florence, Italy.
Cardiovascular Ultrasound
|October 14, 2011
Summary
Elite athletes exhibit cardiac adaptations, with cyclists showing increased Left Ventricle (LV) twist and dimensions. Speckle tracking reveals subtle myocardial changes not seen in standard echocardiography, highlighting the role of rotation and twist in athlete
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Sports Medicine
- Echocardiography
Background:
- Endurance exercise induces "athlete's heart," characterized by structural myocardial adaptations.
- Deformation parameters like strain, rotation, and twist offer advanced assessment of myocardial function beyond standard echocardiography.
- Early detection of sport-specific cardiac impacts is crucial for understanding athlete physiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the role of Left Ventricle (LV) rotation and twist parameters in characterizing heart performance in young elite athletes.
- To identify potential early impacts of regular sports activity on cardiac function not discernible by standard echocardiographic parameters.
- To compare cardiac function parameters across different sports disciplines in young athletes.
Main Methods:
- Fifty young athletes (cyclists, soccer players, basketball players) and 10 controls underwent 2D echocardiography and Speckle Tracking (ST) multi-layer analysis.
- LV endocardial and epicardial rotation, twist, circumferential strain (CS), and longitudinal strain (LS) were calculated.
- Data were analyzed using ANOVA to compare groups.
Main Results:
- Cyclists demonstrated significantly higher LV end-diastolic diameter (LVDD), cardiac mass index (CMi), epicardial CS and LS, epicardial apex rotation, and Endo/Epi twist compared to other groups.
- Physiological differences in endocardial/epicardial basal circumferential strain and twist were observed across all athlete groups.
- A weak, non-significant correlation was found between twist values, LVDD, and CMi in cyclists.
Conclusions:
- Progressive increase in apical LV twist is a key component of myocardial remodeling in young athletes, particularly evident in cyclists.
- Cyclists exhibit distinct cardiac adaptations, including increased LVDD and CMi, alongside enhanced LV twist.
- The ST multi-layer approach effectively complements LV performance evaluation in young trained athletes, revealing findings comparable to adult athletes.
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