title: [Provocative tests and electrophysiological study in athletes].
abstract: Provocative tests can be divided into three main categories: first-level or screening tests, consisting basically of step test, which all athletes undergo during pre-participation screening; second-level tests, which include exercise test (simple or cardiopulmonary), performed on the basis of specific clinical indications or for the assessment of functional capacity; and third-level tests, consisting of complex methods such as myocardial scintigraphy and stress echo (or exercise echo), which are performed in subjects adequately selected according to clinical characteristics or to the results of first- and second-level tests. The electrophysiological endocavitary study has specific indications in sustained or frequent ventricular arrhythmias, while it is not useful in diagnostic evaluation of athletes with supraventricular arrhythmias, where it has been replaced in most cases by transesophageal electrophysiological study.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Cardiocerebrovascolare, A.O. Ospedale Maggiore, Crema. g.inama@hcrema.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Inama
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pedrinazzi
authors.forename: Ornella
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Durin
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gazzaniga
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Donato
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nanetti
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*