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Updated: May 6, 2026
Transthoracic Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for the Quantitative Assessment of Left Ventricular Myocardial Deformation
Published on: October 20, 2016
Detraining-related changes in left ventricular wall thickness and longitudinal strain in a young athlete likely to
Cesare de Gregorio1, Giampiero Speranza, Alberto Magliarditi
1Clinical and Experimental Department of Medicine and Pharmacology, University Hospital of Messina , Messina, Italy.
Insights
Detraining can reverse left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in young athletes, even those with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This finding helps differentiate physiological LVH from pathological conditions in athletes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Sports Medicine
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Differentiating physiological left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) from pathological conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in athletes is crucial.
- Wall thickness reduction after detraining is a recognized marker for physiological LVH (athlete's heart).
- Physical training can trigger the clinical presentation of HCM in adolescent athletes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe detraining-related regression of LVH and improved myocardial deformation in a junior athlete with suspected hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
- To investigate the potential for reverse remodeling in adolescent athletes diagnosed with HCM.
Main Methods:
- Case report detailing a junior athlete's response to a 3-month detraining period.
- Utilized 12-lead ECG for initial diagnosis and echocardiography to assess LVH regression and myocardial deformation.
Main Results:
- The athlete exhibited significant reduction in left ventricular wall thickness after detraining, indicating reverse remodeling.
- Improvement in myocardial deformation was observed alongside the regression of LVH.
- These findings challenge the assumption that reverse remodeling is exclusive to physiological LVH.
Conclusions:
- Reverse left ventricular remodeling (wall thickness reduction) can occur in adolescent athletes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy following a detraining period.
- This observation highlights the importance of considering detraining effects when diagnosing LVH in young athletes.
- Echocardiographic assessment during detraining may aid in differentiating HCM from physiological LVH.
Abstract:
One of the diagnostic criteria in order to differentiate between physiological and pathological left ventricular hypertrophy is the wall thickness reduction after at least 3-month detraining period, which is considered a marker of the athlete's heart. This report describes detraining-related regression of LV hypertrophy and improvement in myocardial deformation in a junior athlete likely to have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Key pointsHypertrophic cardiomyopathy in adolescent athletes can be discovered by 12-lead ECGPhysical training is an important trigger for the clinical presentation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathyReverse LV remodeling (wall thickness reduction) with detraining is a common echocardiographic finding in athletes with physiological hypertrophyThis report demonstrates that reverse remodeling can also be found in adolescent athletes likely to have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
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