Table 8 Summarisation of findings for each cardiac chamber
Sporting discipline and training volume | Ethnicity | Body size | Sex | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Left ventricle | Endurance training elicits eccentric hypertrophy Concentric remodelling is relatively rare in any athlete Athletes with high levels of training volume show a more pronounced structural remodelling HIIT induces greater increases in mass Endurance athletes present with lower resting ejection fraction | There is a greater prevalence of hypertrophy in black athletes compared to athletes of any other ethnicity Trabeculation and hypertrabeculation are more common in black athletes | Indexing LVEDD and mass to FFM is most optimal compared to BSA, body mass and height and particularly in athletes displaying extreme anthropometry | Concentric hypertrophy is extremely rare in female athletes Female athletes have smaller structural dimensions than male athletes Female athletes present with slightly higher ejection fraction | Senior athletes > 60 years demonstrate a more pronounced enlargement of the cavity and increases in WT compared to adolescent athletes Adolescent black athletes have a higher presentation of LVH compared to age-matched white athletes |
Right ventricle | Endurance trained athletes present balanced increases in mass and volume Resistance trained athletes present similar chamber dimensions to sedentary individuals Global resting function is maintained | RV structural adaptation is similar between ethnicities | RV size is allometrically related to BSA when indexed with population-specific allometric b exponents | Female athletes have smaller structural dimensions When indexing to FFM these intersex chamber dimension differences are removed suggesting body size is the cause of the disparities in size | The cavity size increases throughout adolescence and throughout physical maturity Systolic strain rate in the mid and apical wall is reduced in adolescent athletes suggestive of systolic reserve |
Atria | Endurance training elicits bi-atrial dilatation and increased atrial volumes which are strongly correlated with exercise capacity | Black athletes appear to have larger LA dimensions than white athletes | LA diameter and height appear to have a significant linear relationship when ratiometric scaling is utilised Lean body mass may be especially important in screening athletes with low body fat | Males have larger absolute bi-atrial dimensions | Adolescent athletes present bi-atrial remodelling compared to sedentary controls Bi-atrial function is preserved with LA and RA EF being similar between athletes and controls |
Aorta | Increased aortic root dimensions may be present in some athletes, but values usually fall within normal cut offs | Indexed aortic root dimensions have correlations with ratiometric scaling to height | Male athletes have larger aortic root dimensions | Aortic dilation is rare in athletes irrespective of age |