Table 1 Common imaging diagnostic methods for cardiac evaluation in athletes
From: Cardiac imaging in athlete’s heart: current status and future prospects
Tools | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
2D echocardiography | Availability Repeatability Comprehensive assessment of myocardial wall thickness, cavity size, and left ventricular mass | Low spatial resolution Suboptimal image quality Challenging assessment of right ventricle due to the complex anatomy Inter-observer variability |
Doppler | ||
Flow (pulsed wave) Doppler | High temporal resolution Velocity and instantaneous local acceleration measurements of blood within a chamber Assessment of diastolic function in the athlete's heart | Angle dependency Load dependency |
Doppler myocardial imaging | Assessment of myocardial walls velocity Assessment of left ventricular longitudinal function from the mitral annulus velocities | Poor spatial resolution Impossibility of recording different wall segments simultaneously |
Cardiac magnetic resonance | Detailed characterization of the myocardium with high spatial resolution Accurate assessment of myocardial wall thickness, cavity size, and left ventricular mass Right ventricular assessment Analysis of coronary artery origins | Limited availability Expensive compared to echocardiography Not feasible in some patients A relatively limited temporal resolution and time-consuming data acquisition and analysis |
Cardiac computed tomography | High spatial resolution Accuracy in evaluating coronary atherosclerosis Precise definition of coronary origin and course | Ionizing radiation exposure High costs Low temporal resolution |