title: The role of new echocardiographic techniques in athlete's heart.
abstract: 'Athlete's heart' is a common term for the various adaptive changes induced by intensive exercise. Exercise causes alterations of the heart in hemodynamic response to the increased systemic and pulmonary demand during exercise. The understanding of these adaptations is of high importance, since they may overlap with those caused by pathological conditions. Cardiac imaging assessment of the athlete's heart should begin with a complete echocardiographic examination. In recent years classical echocardiographic surveys have been joined by new developments: tissue Doppler imaging, strain rate echocardiography, and real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography. This review paper focuses on the importance of these new echocardiographic techniques in delineating the morphological characteristics and functional properties of the athlete's heart.
authors.affiliation: Second University of Naples, Monaldi Hospital, Caserta, CE, 81100, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Andrea
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Division, Fisciano, SA, 84084, Italy.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bossone
authors.affiliation: Second University of Naples, Monaldi Hospital, Caserta, CE, 81100, Italy.
authors.forename: Juri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Radmilovic
authors.affiliation: Second University of Naples, Monaldi Hospital, Caserta, CE, 81100, Italy.
authors.forename: Pio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caso
authors.affiliation: Second University of Naples, Monaldi Hospital, Caserta, CE, 81100, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calabrò
authors.affiliation: Second University of Naples, Monaldi Hospital, Caserta, CE, 81100, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Giovanna
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Federico II University Hospital, Naples, 80138, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galderisi
keywords: athlete’s heart; left ventricular hypertrophy; sport; strain; three-dimensional echocardiography; tissue Doppler