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Left ventricular structure and function, assessed by imaging and Doppler echocardiography, in athletes engaged in
1Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leuven, Belgium.
Insights
Strength training in male athletes did not alter cardiac structure or left ventricular (LV) function. Echocardiography revealed no significant differences in LV dimensions, mass, or systolic/diastolic function between throwers and controls.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Sports Medicine
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Athletes often exhibit cardiac adaptations due to intense training.
- The specific impact of throwing events on left ventricular (LV) structure and function requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess cardiac structure and LV systolic and diastolic function in male athletes participating in throwing events compared to matched controls.
- To determine if strength training in these athletes influences LV diastolic function.
Main Methods:
- Echocardiography and Doppler velocimetry were used to evaluate cardiac parameters in ten male throwers and ten age, height, and weight-matched controls.
- Assessment included LV internal diameter, wall thickness, LV mass, systolic function, early diastolic function (relaxation velocity, inflow pattern), and late diastolic function.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in LV internal diameter, wall thickness, LV mass, or systolic LV function between athletes and controls.
- Both early and late LV diastolic function, including LV relaxation and filling patterns, were similar in throwers and non-athletes.
- The ratio of peak filling velocities during atrial contraction and early filling remained unchanged, indicating unaltered LV distensibility.
Conclusions:
- The training regimen of these male throwing athletes was not associated with alterations in LV structure or function.
- Strength training, as performed by these athletes, does not appear to induce detrimental changes in cardiac morphology or hemodynamics.
Abstract:
Ten male athletes engaged in throwing events and ten control subjects, matched for age, height, and weight, were investigated with echocardiography and Doppler velocimetry to assess cardiac structure and systolic and diastolic left ventricular function at rest. Left ventricular (LV) internal diameter, wall thickness, LV mass, and systolic LV function were not different between athletes and nonathletes. The possibility that strength training could alter LV diastolic function was further investigated. Both early diastolic function, estimated from the velocity of LV relaxation and the LV inflow pattern, and late diastolic function, assessed by Doppler velocimetry, were similar in throwers and controls. The unchanged ratio of the peak velocities of LV filing during atrial contraction and early filling suggests that LV distensibility is unaltered in these athletes. In conclusion, the amount and type of training performed by these throwers was not associated with changes in LV structure and function.