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European Heart Journal 1987 8(12):1305-1311;
Copyright © 1987 by the European Society of Cardiology.
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© 1987 The European Society of Cardiology

Noninvasive assessment of systolic and diastolic left ventricular function in female runners

R. FAGARD, C. VAN DEN, L. VANHEES, J. STAESSEN and A. AMERY

Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty Medicine, University of Leuven Leuven, Belgium

Received 4 March 1987; revised 28 May 1987; .

Prof. Dr Robert Fagard, Laboratorium voor Hartfunctie, Inwendige Gcneeskunde-Cardiologie, Universitair Ziekenhuis Pellenberg, Wehgerveld 1, 3041 Pellenberg, Belgium.

Nine female runners and 9 matched control subjects were investigated with echocardiography and Doppler velocimetry to assess cardiac structure and systolic and diastolic left ventricular (LV) function at rest. LV mass was considerably larger in the athletes (171 vs 123 g; P <001). Minute distance, the Doppler index cardiac output, was similar in runners and controls; the lower heart rate (P<0.01) of the athletes was associated with a higher stroke distance (P<0.05). The latter could be attributed to a larger end-diastolic LV internal diameter (46 vs 43 mm; P<0.05); wall stress and the various indices of systolic LV function were not different between runners and controls. Early diastolic LV function, estimated from the velocity of LV relaxation and the LV inflow pattern, and late diastolic function, assessed by Doppler velocimetry, were similar in runners and controls. The unchanged ratio of the peak velocities of LV filling during atrial contraction and early filling (0.49 vs 0.44; NS) indicates that LV distensibility is unaltered in the athletes.In conclusion, the higher left ventricular mass of female runners is not associated with changes of systolic and diastolic LV function.

Key Words: Athletes • Doppler echocardiography • echocardiography • female • left ventricular hypertrophy


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