February 24, 1998Circulation
Functional and Metabolic Evaluation of the Athlete’s Heart By Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Dobutamine Stress Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Why the study?
Does training-induced left ventricular hypertrophy in elite cyclists cause abnormalities in cardiac function or myocardial metabolism compared to healthy controls?
Population
21 elite cyclists and 12 healthy control subjects (n=33)
Comparison
Elite cycling training evaluated by… vs Healthy control subjects
Design
Cross-sectional
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
May reassure clinicians of physiological LVH in cyclists; leaves open prospective validation across athletes and outcomes.
Key Points
- Determine whether exercise-induced left ventricular hypertrophy in elite athletes involves functional or metabolic cardiac abnormalities under pharmacological stress.
- Assessed 21 elite cyclists with left ventricular hypertrophy and 12 healthy controls (N=33).
- Measured left ventricular mass, volumes, and systolic and diastolic function using cine MRI.
- Quantified myocardial high-energy phosphate metabolism (phosphocreatine-to-ATP ratio) at rest and during atropine-dobutamine stress using phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
- Left ventricular ejection fraction (59±5% in cyclists vs 61±4% in controls) and cardiac index (3.4±0.4 vs 3.4±0.4 L·min⁻¹·m⁻²) showed no significant differences.
- Myocardial phosphocreatine-to-ATP ratios decreased similarly from baseline to peak stress in cyclists (1.41±0.20 to 1.21±0.20) and controls (1.41±0.18 to 1.16±0.13; P=NS between groups).
Structured PICO
Does training-induced left ventricular hypertrophy in elite cyclists cause abnormalities in cardiac function or myocardial metabolism compared to healthy controls?
P
Population
21 elite cyclists and 12 healthy control subjects (n=33)
I
Intervention
Elite cycling training (athlete's heart with left ventricular hypertrophy) evaluated by atropine-dobutamine stress MRI and MRS
C
Comparator
Healthy control subjects
O
Outcome
Cardiac function (left ventricular mass, volume, and function) and myocardial high-energy phosphate metabolism (phosphocreatine to ATP ratio) at rest and during atropine-dobutamine stresssurrogate
Training-induced left ventricular hypertrophy in elite cyclists is a physiological phenomenon that is not associated with significant abnormalities in cardiac function or metabolism.
Cite This Study
Pluim et al. (1998) studied this question.