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January 1, 2014Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound47 citationsOpen Access

Endurance and Strength Athlete's Heart: Analysis of Myocardial Deformation by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography

ASAmato SantoroFAFederico AlvinoGAGiovanni Antonelli

Key Result

Endurance training athletes demonstrated significantly lower resting left ventricular twist (6.2° vs 12.0°) compared to strength training athletes, indicating better functional reserve.

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=86)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does endurance training compared to strength training alter resting myocardial deformation and left ventricular twist in professional athletes?

P
Population
86 young adults, comprising 33 elite endurance cyclists, 36 highly trained weight lifters, and 17 sedentary healthy controls, evaluated for myocardial deformation at rest.
E
Exposure
Endurance training (ET) (professional cycling, 70-160 km per session, 20,000-25,000 km/year) or Strength training (ST) (weight lifting, 2 hours daily for at least 10 years).
C
Comparator
Sedentary healthy young adults (controls) not engaged in any routine training program, and cross-comparison between the two athlete groups (ET vs. ST).
O
Outcome
Myocardial deformation, specifically left ventricular apical circumferential strain (AVCS), left ventricular twist (LVT), and untwisting (UTW) assessed by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) at rest.surrogate

Endurance training induces a unique physiological adaptation characterized by lower resting left ventricular twist and untwisting, representing a contractile reserve mechanism that allows for better cardiovascular performance during effort.

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 6.2% vs 12%

p-value: p=<0.01

Limitations

  • Relatively small sample size
  • Self-reported denial of performance-enhancing drugs cannot be quantified
  • E/A ratio is not the only parameter to study diastolic function

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Intensive training induces two morphological myocardial typologies of athlete's heart. Endurance training (ET) induces eccentric remodeling, bradycardia and better diastolic filling. Strength training (ST) determines concentric chamber remodelling maintaining a normal heart rate (HR). Aim of the study was to compare ET and ST athletes' heart using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). METHODS: 33 professional ET, 36 ST athletes, and 17 healthy controls (CT) were enrolled. All subjects underwent standard transthoracic echocardiography at rest and STE. RESULTS: In ET group, HR was lower than ST group and CT group (p < 0.001; p < 0.01). ET group had higher E/A ratio than ST group and CT group (p < 0.01; p < 0.001). The left ventricular apical circumferential strain in ET group was lower than ST group and CT group (-21.6 ± 4.1% vs. -26.8 ± 7.7%, p < 0.05; vs. -27.8 ± 5.6%, p < 0.01). ET group had lower left ventricular twist (LVT) and untwisting (UTW) than ST group (6.2 ± 0.1° vs. 12.0 ± 0.1°, p < 0.01; -67.3 ± 22.9°/s vs. -122.5 ± 52.8°/s, p < 0.01) and CT group (10.0 ± 0.1°, p < 0.01; -103.3 ± 29.3°/s, p < 0.01). The univariate analysis showed significant correlation between E/A ratio and HR (r = -0.54; p < 0.001), LVT (r = -0.45; p < 0.01), UTW (r = 0.24; p < 0.05). At the multivariate analysis only HR was confirmed as independent predictor of diastolic function in all groups (Beta -0.52; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In ET there was a better global systolic and diastolic functional reserve at rest observed with strain analysis and it maybe depended on autonomic modulation.

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Cite This Study

Santoro et al. (2014) conducted a cross-sectional in Athlete's heart (n=86). Endurance training vs. Strength training was evaluated on Left ventricular twist (LVT) (p=<0.01). Endurance training athletes demonstrated significantly lower resting left ventricular twist (6.2° vs 12.0°) compared to strength training athletes, indicating better functional reserve.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7b7128756812e3958a01f0https://doi.org/10.4250/jcu.2014.22.4.196
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Speckle Tracking Echocardiographic Analysis of Left Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Functions of Young Elite Athletes with Eccentric and Concentric Type of Cardiac Remodeling2013 · 62 citations
  2. 2Determinants of myocardial mechanics in top-level endurance athletes: three-dimensional speckle tracking evaluation2016 · 19 citations
  3. 3Enhanced Right-Chamber Remodeling in Endurance Ultra-Trail Athletes Compared to Marathon Runners Detected by Standard and Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography2017 · 9 citations
  4. 4Comprehensive assessment of biventricular function and aortic stiffness in athletes with different forms of training by three-dimensional echocardiography and strain imaging2013 · 53 citations
  5. 5Biventricular Response of the Heart to Endurance Exercise Training in Previously Untrained Subjects2014 · 7 citations