TY - JOUR
T1 - Athlete's heart
T2 - Right and left ventricular mass and function in male endurance athletes and untrained individuals determined by magnetic resonance imaging
AU - Scharhag, Jürgen
AU - Schneider, Günther
AU - Urhausen, Axel
AU - Rochette, Veneta
AU - Kramann, Bernhard
AU - Kindermann, Wilfried
PY - 2002/11/20
Y1 - 2002/11/20
N2 - OBJECTIVES: Athlete's heart represents a structural and functional adaptation to regular endurance exercise. BACKGROUND: While left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy of the athlete's heart has been examined in many studies, the extent of right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy is still uncertain because of its complex shape and trabecular structure. To examine RV hypertrophy, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and hypothesized that athlete's heart is characterized by similar LV and RV hypertrophy. METHODS: The LV and RV mass, volume, and function in 21 male endurance athletes (A) (27 ± 4 years; 70 ± 8 kg; 178 ± 7 cm; maximal oxygen uptake [Vo2max]: 68 ± 5 ml/min per kg) and 21 pair-matched untrained control subjects (C) (26 ± 3 years; 71 ± 9 kg; 178 ± 6 cm; Vo2max: 42 ± 6 ml/min per kg) were analyzed by MRI (Magnetom Vision 1.5T, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). RESULTS: Left ventricular masses (A: 200 ± 20 g; C: 148 ± 17 g) and RV masses (A: 77 ± 10 g; C: 56 ± 8 g) differed significantly between the groups (p < 0.001). The LV and RV end-diastolic volumes (EDV) (LV-EDV 167 ± 28 ml [A]; 125 ± 16 ml [C]; RV-EDV 160 ± 26 ml [A]; 128 ± 10 ml [C]), and stroke volumes (SV) (LV-SV: 99 ± 18 ml [A], 74 ± 11 ml [C]; RV-SV: 102 ± 18 ml [A], 79 ± 8 ml [C]) were significantly different between the athletes and control subjects (p ± 0.001), whereas ejection fractions (EF) (LV-EF: 59 ± 3% [A]; 59 ± 6% [C]; RV-EF: 63 ± 3% [A], 62 ± 3% [C]) and LV-to-RV ratios were similar for both groups (LV-to-RV mass: 2.6 ± 0.2 [A], 2.6 ± 0.3 [C]; LV-to-RV EDV: 1.05 ± 0.14 [A], 0.99 ± 0.14 [C]; LV-to-RV SV: 0.98 ± 0.17 [A], 0.95 ± 0.17 [C]; LV-to-RV EF: 0.93 ± 0.07 [A], 0.96 ± 0.10 [C]). CONCLUSIONS: Regular and extensive endurance training results in similar changes in LV and RV mass, volume, and function in endurance athletes. This leads to the conclusion that the athlete's heart is a balanced enlarged heart.
AB - OBJECTIVES: Athlete's heart represents a structural and functional adaptation to regular endurance exercise. BACKGROUND: While left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy of the athlete's heart has been examined in many studies, the extent of right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy is still uncertain because of its complex shape and trabecular structure. To examine RV hypertrophy, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and hypothesized that athlete's heart is characterized by similar LV and RV hypertrophy. METHODS: The LV and RV mass, volume, and function in 21 male endurance athletes (A) (27 ± 4 years; 70 ± 8 kg; 178 ± 7 cm; maximal oxygen uptake [Vo2max]: 68 ± 5 ml/min per kg) and 21 pair-matched untrained control subjects (C) (26 ± 3 years; 71 ± 9 kg; 178 ± 6 cm; Vo2max: 42 ± 6 ml/min per kg) were analyzed by MRI (Magnetom Vision 1.5T, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). RESULTS: Left ventricular masses (A: 200 ± 20 g; C: 148 ± 17 g) and RV masses (A: 77 ± 10 g; C: 56 ± 8 g) differed significantly between the groups (p < 0.001). The LV and RV end-diastolic volumes (EDV) (LV-EDV 167 ± 28 ml [A]; 125 ± 16 ml [C]; RV-EDV 160 ± 26 ml [A]; 128 ± 10 ml [C]), and stroke volumes (SV) (LV-SV: 99 ± 18 ml [A], 74 ± 11 ml [C]; RV-SV: 102 ± 18 ml [A], 79 ± 8 ml [C]) were significantly different between the athletes and control subjects (p ± 0.001), whereas ejection fractions (EF) (LV-EF: 59 ± 3% [A]; 59 ± 6% [C]; RV-EF: 63 ± 3% [A], 62 ± 3% [C]) and LV-to-RV ratios were similar for both groups (LV-to-RV mass: 2.6 ± 0.2 [A], 2.6 ± 0.3 [C]; LV-to-RV EDV: 1.05 ± 0.14 [A], 0.99 ± 0.14 [C]; LV-to-RV SV: 0.98 ± 0.17 [A], 0.95 ± 0.17 [C]; LV-to-RV EF: 0.93 ± 0.07 [A], 0.96 ± 0.10 [C]). CONCLUSIONS: Regular and extensive endurance training results in similar changes in LV and RV mass, volume, and function in endurance athletes. This leads to the conclusion that the athlete's heart is a balanced enlarged heart.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037145942&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0735-1097(02)02478-6
DO - 10.1016/S0735-1097(02)02478-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 12446071
AN - SCOPUS:0037145942
SN - 0735-1097
VL - 40
SP - 1856
EP - 1863
JO - Journal of the American College of Cardiology
JF - Journal of the American College of Cardiology
IS - 10
ER -