TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of coronary CT angiography in athletes
AU - Moliterno, Eleonora
AU - Rovere, Giuseppe
AU - Giarletta, Lorenzo
AU - Brancasi, Alessandro
AU - Larici, Anna Rita
AU - Savino, Giancarlo
AU - Bianco, Massimiliano
AU - Meduri, Agostino
AU - Palmieri, Vincenzo
AU - Natale, Luigi
AU - Marano, Riccardo
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - The sudden death of a young or high-level athlete or adolescent during recreational sports is one of the events with the greatest impact on public opinion in modern society. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the principal medical cause of death in athletes and can be the first and last clinical presentation of underlying disease. To prevent such episodes, pre-participation screening has been introduced in many countries to guarantee cardiovascular safety during sports and has become a common target among medical sports/governing organizations. Different cardiac conditions may cause SCD, with incidence depending on definition, evaluation methods, and studied populations, and a prevalence and etiology changing according to the age of athletes, with CAD most frequent in master athletes, while coronary anomalies and non-ischemic causes prevalent in young. To detect silent underlying causes early would be of considerable clinical value. This review summarizes the pre-participation screening in athletes, the specialist agonistic suitability visit performed in Italy, the anatomical characteristics of malignant coronary anomalies, and finally, the role of coronary CT angiography in such arena. In particular, the anatomical conditions suggesting potential disqualification from sport, the post-treatment follow-up to reintegrate young athletes, the diagnostic workflow to rule-out CAD in master athletes, and their clinical management are analyzed.
AB - The sudden death of a young or high-level athlete or adolescent during recreational sports is one of the events with the greatest impact on public opinion in modern society. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the principal medical cause of death in athletes and can be the first and last clinical presentation of underlying disease. To prevent such episodes, pre-participation screening has been introduced in many countries to guarantee cardiovascular safety during sports and has become a common target among medical sports/governing organizations. Different cardiac conditions may cause SCD, with incidence depending on definition, evaluation methods, and studied populations, and a prevalence and etiology changing according to the age of athletes, with CAD most frequent in master athletes, while coronary anomalies and non-ischemic causes prevalent in young. To detect silent underlying causes early would be of considerable clinical value. This review summarizes the pre-participation screening in athletes, the specialist agonistic suitability visit performed in Italy, the anatomical characteristics of malignant coronary anomalies, and finally, the role of coronary CT angiography in such arena. In particular, the anatomical conditions suggesting potential disqualification from sport, the post-treatment follow-up to reintegrate young athletes, the diagnostic workflow to rule-out CAD in master athletes, and their clinical management are analyzed.
KW - Athletes
KW - Coronary artery anomalies
KW - Coronary artery disease
KW - Coronary CT angiography
KW - Sudden cardiac death
KW - Personalized medicine
KW - Pre-participation screening
KW - Specialist agonistic suitability visit
KW - Sports medicine
KW - Diagnostic imaging
KW - Athletes
KW - Coronary artery anomalies
KW - Coronary artery disease
KW - Coronary CT angiography
KW - Sudden cardiac death
KW - Personalized medicine
KW - Pre-participation screening
KW - Specialist agonistic suitability visit
KW - Sports medicine
KW - Diagnostic imaging
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/298223
U2 - 10.1007/s11547-024-01837-4
DO - 10.1007/s11547-024-01837-4
M3 - Article
SN - 0033-8362
VL - 129
SP - 1008
EP - 1024
JO - LA RADIOLOGIA MEDICA
JF - LA RADIOLOGIA MEDICA
ER -