Abstract

rrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) is a typical silent arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in athletes, with the possibility of normal ventricular performance and life-threatening arrhythmias. We studied 32 athletes (28 M, 4 F), mean age 23 yrs, follow-up 6-7 yrs, all previously declared fit for sports activity. They were studied for significant ventricular arrhythmias with LBBB with a final diagnosis of ARVD based on accepted clinical, echocardiographic and angiographic criteria. The study protocol included Holter monitoring (HM), stress test (ST), electrophysiological endocavitary study (EES), 2D echocardiography, RV and LV cardioangiography and coronarography. The most serious arrhythmia appeared at a mean age of 23.4 yrs, 20 had clinical sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) (19/20, 95 during sports activity), 6 non-sustained VT and 1 ventricular fibrillation (VF). Severe symptoms occurred in 16/32 athletes (50), during sports activity in 13/16 (81): presyncope in 9 (non-sustained VT in 1, sustained VT in 8); syncope in 5 (sustained VT); aborted sudden death (SD) in 1, SD (follow-up) in 1. The reproducibility (HM, ST, EES) of clinically severe arrhythmic manifestations occurring during sports activity was not high. During sport many factors are at work which may activate several arrhythmogenic mechanisms not easily reproducible in the laboratory. We conclude that a cardioarrhythmological study is mandatory in suspected right ventricular arrhythmias, including morphological study of the RV. Verf.-Referat