Myocardial Fitness of Bicuspid Aortic Valve Athletes during COVID 19 Pandemic

COVID 19 pandemic has induced a large sedentarism in several kinds of sports. Some peculiar categories of athletes could particularly suffer from a prolonged inactivity as those affected by minimal cardiopathies as bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) athletes. This study aims to verify the myocardial performance in a restricted group of BAV athletes compared to a control group of agonistic athletes evaluated by traditional echocardiography and deformation parameters. 2D standard and deformations parameters were measured at rest conditions in BAV athletes and controls. Particularly EF, LVDD/LVS diameters, GLS rotation and twisting were considered as myocardial performance data; E/A, E1 and A1 as diastolic ones. All the 2D standard parameters measured were within the normal range in both groups, especially the EF value. Significant differences were found in the diastolic function with reduced values of E and E1 waves in BAV vs. controls. The strain analysis showed a significant reduction in GLS measured in 2C, 3C, 4C in BAV if compared to controls, while no significant differences were found in torsional and rotational parameters. These results are suggestive for a potential long term negative impact of inactivity on cardiac performance more evident in BAV athletes, if compared to athletes with normal aortic valve. GLS of LV and RV can be considered as a predictive parameter of this mild dysfunction and assumed as follow-up parameter to restore a progressive training.