Abstract
Two-dimensional and color-Doppler echocardiography is the most widely used imaging method in athletes. In these subjects, echocardiography is a valuable way to diagnose potentially lethal heart diseases. In fact, in the last few years episodes of sudden death associated with physical exercise in competitive athletes have become highly visible events fuelled by new media reports. Often the underlying cause of sudden death in such patients is represented by structural changes to the heart and/or great vessels that may be identified by echocardiography. The existence of heart disease may be an exclusion criterion in competitive sport in order to reduce the risk of sudden death and/or it may justify the implantation of an automatic defibrillator.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
AA.VV. (2010) Protocolli cardiologici per il giudizio di idoneità allo sport agonistico 2009. Medicina dello sport 63:5–137
Marron BJ, Pelliccia A (2006) The heart of trained athletes. Cardiac remodeling and risks of sports, including sudden death. Circulation 114:1633–1644
Pelliccia A, Maron BJ, Di Paolo FM et al (2005) Prevalence and clinical significance of left atrial remodeling in competitive athletes. J Am Coll Cardiol 46: 690–696
Pelliccia A, Culasso F, Di Paolo F et al (1999) Physiologic left ventricular cavity dilatation on elite athlete. Ann Intern Med 130:23–31
Pelliccia A, Maron BJ, Spataro A et al (1991) The upper limit of physiologic cardiac hypertrophy in highly trained elite athletes. N Engl J Med 324: 295–301
Marron BJ, Pelliccia A, Spirito P (2005) Cardiovascular disease in young trained athletes. Insights into methods for distinguishing athlete’s heart from structural heart disease, with particular emphasis on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Circulation 91:1596–1601
Zeppilli P, Dello Russo A, Santini C et al (1998) In vivo detection of coronary artery anomalies in asymptomatic athletes by echocardiographic screening. Chest 114:89–93
Maron BJ (1986) Structural features of the athletes heart as defined by echocardiography. J Am Coll Cardiol 7:190–203
Schiller NB, Shah PM, Crawford M et al (1989) Recommendations for quantitation of the left ventricle by two-dimensional echocardiography. American Society of Echocardiography Committee on Standards, Subcommittee on Quantitation of Two-Dimensional Echocardiograms. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2:358–367
Feigenbaum H, Armstrong W, Ryan T. (2005) Feigenbaum’s echocardiography, 6th edn. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia
Lang RM, Bierig M, Devereux RB et al (2006) Recommendation for chambers quantification. Eur J Echocardiography 7:79–108
Palmieri V, Dahlof B, DeQuattro V et al (1999) Reliability of echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular structure and function: the PRESERVE study: Prospective Randomized Study Evaluating Regression of Ventricular Enlargement. J Am Coll Cardiol 34:1625–1632
Devereux RB, Alonso DR, Lutas EM et al (1986) Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular hypertrophy: comparison to necropsy findings. Am J Cardiol 57:450–458
Otto CM, Aurigemma GP, Bartel T et al (2007) The practice of clinical echocardiography, 3th ed. Saunders Elsevier, Philadelphia
Cerqueira MD, Weissman NJ, Dilsizian V et al (2002) Standardized myocardial segmentation and nomenclature for tomographic imaging of the heart: a statement for healthcare professionals from the Cardiac Imaging Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology of the American Heart Association. Circulation 105: 539–542
Matsukubo H, Matsuura T, Endo N et al (1977) Echocardiographic measurement of right ventricular wall thickness. A new application of subxiphoid echocardiography. Circulation 56:278–284
Foale R, Nihoyannopoulos P, McKenna W et al (1986) Echocardiographic measurement of the normal adult right ventricle. Br Heart J 56:33–44
Marcus FI, McKenna WJ, Sherril D et al (2010) Diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/ dysplasia proposed modification of the task force Criteria. Circulation 121:1533–1541
Weyman A (1994) Practices and principles of echocardiography, 2nd edn. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia
Redfield MM, Jacobsen SJ, Burnett Jr JC et al (2003) Burden of systolic and diastolic ventricular dysfunction in the community: Appreciating the scope of the heart failure epidemic. JAMA 289:194–202
Baumgartner H, Hung J, Bermejo J et al (2009) Echocardiographic assessment of valve stenosis: EAE/ASE recommendations for clinical practice. JASE 22:1–23
Lancellotti P, Moura L, Pierard LA (2010) European Association of Echocardiography Recommendations for the assessment of valvular regurgitation. Part 2: mitral and tricuspid regurgitation (native valve disease). Eur J Echocardiogr 11:307–332
Marwick TH (2006) Measurement of strain and strain rate by echocardiography Ready for prime time? J Am Coll Cardiol 47:1313–1327
Mondillo S, Galderisi M, Mele D et al (2011) Speckle tracking echocardiography: a new technique for assessing myocardial function. J Ultrasound Med 30: 71–83
Caso P, D’Andrea A, Galderisi M et al (2000) Pulsed Doppler Tissue imaging in endurance athletes: Relation between left ventricular preload and myocardial regional diastolic function. Am J Cardiol 85:1131–1136
Palka P, Lange A, Fleming AD, Donnelly JE, Dutka DP, Starkey IR, Shaw TR, Sutherland GR, Fox KA. Differences in myocardial velocity gradient measured throughout the cardiac cycle in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, athletes and patients with left ventricular hypertrophy due to hypertension. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1997;30:760–8.
Vinereanu D, Florescu N, Schulthorpe N et al (2001) Differentiation between pathologic and physiologic left ventricular hypertrophy by tissue Doppler assessment of long axis function in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or systemic hypertension and in athletes. Am J Cardiol 88:53–58
Galderisi M, Lomoriello VS, Santoro A et al (2010) Differences of myocardial systolic deformation and correlates of diastolic function in competitive rowers and young hypertensives: a speckle-tracking echocardiography study. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 23:1190–1198
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Italia
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rizzello, V., Fioranelli, M. (2012). Echocardiography in Athletes. In: Fioranelli, M., Frajese, G. (eds) Sports Cardiology. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2775-6_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2775-6_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Milano
Print ISBN: 978-88-470-2774-9
Online ISBN: 978-88-470-2775-6
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)