Alterations in Left Ventricular Structure and Diastolic Function in Professional Football Players: Assessment by Tissue Doppler Imaging and Left Ventricular Flow Propagation Velocity

Abstract

Professional football playing is associated with morphologic alteration in left ventricle and left atrium and improvement in left ventricle diastolic function that can be detected by TDI and Vp. These techniques may be new tools to define and quantitate the degree of LV diastolic adaptations to endurance exercise.

Patterns of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in Olympic Athletes

“…[14][15][16][17][18]36,37 However, within the broad spectrum of sport disciplines included in the present study, we observed a small but nonnegligible subset of athletes (3%) with E/A ratios > 3.0, sometimes up to 4.8. Therefore, a practical clinical consequence of this observation is that in elite athletes, LV filling should not raise suspicion of a restrictive filling pattern, despite the marked increase of E/A ratio (>3) and the presence of LA enlargement, 38,39 In this context, the normal DTI e 0 velocity and E/e 0 ratio, the normal PASP, and the overall clinical picture may help avoid the misdiagnosis of a pathologic cardiac condition.…”

“…The clinical significance of this observation is that in elite athletes, regardless the extent of LV remodeling, the absolute e 0 value is consistently >8.0 cm/sec, 14,[16][17][18]37 and values below this cutoff should be interpreted with some clinical caution. [23][24][25]35 In fact, individuals with positive genotype and negative phenotype for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may already have abnormal e 0 velocities, underscoring the principle that abnormal diastolic function may precede the development of patent LV hypertrophy.…”

“…So far, several studies have explored LV diastolic function in a variety of athletes, with, however, substantial limitations regarding the small number of subjects examined and/or the restricted representation of the sport disciplines. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][35][36][37] Accurate understanding of the diastolic properties may help define the physiologic nature of LV remodeling in athletes and help distinguish it from pathologic cardiac conditions, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which may mimic the morphologic characteristics of the athlete's heart, but is usually associated with early impairment of diastolic performance. 11,[21][22][23][24][25]35 In the present study, we planned a comprehensive assessment of LV diastolic function, derived from a large cohort of elite athletes, of both genders and encompassing a broad variety of sport disciplines.…”

Diferencias en la respuesta hemodinámica y autonómica al estrés simpático entre futbolistas profesionales potentes y resistentes: un estudio transversal

“…Se ha reportado que los futbolistas profesionales presentan cambios morfológicos en el ventrículo izquierdo y en la aurícula izquierda, acompañado de una mejor función diastólica del ventrículo izquierdo 16,[38][39][40] . Sin embargo, los resultados con relación a la función sistólica son controversiales 38,39,[41][42][43][44] .…”

The hearts of competitive athletes: An up-to-date overview of exercise-induced cardiac adaptations

“…LV diastolic function can be enhanced by prolonged exercise training. 53,54 This improvement is essential to preserve stroke volume, mainly due to the ability of the LV to relax at high heart rates. 55 Sustained endurance training preserves ventricular compliance with age, potentially preventing heart failure in the elderly.…”