The effect of exercise training on left ventricular function in young elite athletes.

Alessio De Luca,Stefano Pedri,Giorgio Galanti,Gianni Pedrizzetti,Laura Stefani

doi:10.1186/1476-7120-9-27

Alessio De Luca, Stefano Pedri + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-7120-9-27

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Abstract

BackgroundRegular training, in particular endurance exercise, induces structural myocardial adaptation, so-called "athlete's heart". In addition to the 2D standard echo parameters, assessment of myocardial function is currently possible by deformation parameters (strain, rotation and twist). Aim of study is to assess the role of rotation and twist parameters for better characterize the heart performance in trained elite young athletes from different kind of sports. Eventually, verify early on any possible impact due to the regular sport activity not revealed by the standard parameters.Methods50 young athletes (16 cyclists, 17 soccer players, 17 basket players) regularly trained at least three times a week for at least 9 months a year and 10 young controls (mean age 18.5 ± 0.5 years) were evaluated either by to 2D echocardiography or by a Speckle Tracking (ST) multi-layer approach to calculate Left Ventricle (LV) endocardial and epicardial rotation, twist, circumferential strain (CS) and longitudinal strain (LS). Data were compared by ANOVA test.ResultsAll the found values were within the normal range. Left Ventricle Diastolic Diameter (LVDD 51.7 ± 2.6 mm), Cardiac Mass index (CMi 114.5 ± 18.5 g/m2), epi-CS, epi-LS, epicardial apex rotation and the Endo/Epi twist were significantly higher only in cyclists. In all the groups, a physiological difference of the Endo/Epi basal circumferential strain and twist values have been found. A weak but not significant relationship between the Endo and twist values and LVDD (r2 = 0.44, p = .005) and CMi was also reported in cyclists.ConclusionsProgressive increase of apical LV twist may represent an important component of myocardial remodelling. This aspect is particularly evident in the young cyclists group where the CMi and the LVDD are higher. ST multilayer approach completes the LV performance evaluation in young trained athletes showing values similar to adults.

Highlights

Regular training, in particular endurance exercise, induces structural myocardial adaptation, so-called “athlete’s heart”
The heart systolic function, expressed as ejection fraction (EF), resulted to be substantially similar among the athletes, controls showed significantly lower values compared to basket players (61.4±1.3 vs. 65.6±5.1%; p
Concerning diastolic function, isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) was significantly higher in controls than other groups, while deceleration time (DT) was homogenous among the athletes

Summary

Introduction

In particular endurance exercise, induces structural myocardial adaptation, so-called “athlete’s heart”. Aim of study is to assess the role of rotation and twist parameters for better characterize the heart performance in trained elite young athletes from different kind of sports. Walls thickness and LV chamber dimensions are involved in this adaptation It can typify different morphological heart features in consequence to various (pressure and/or volume overload) kinds of practiced sports [4]. These characteristics are currently assessed in athletes by 2D standard. Myocardial adaptation to regular training in young elite athletes up until now has not been studied and very little informations about the LV deformation parameters in young athletes are available

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