Arrhythmia patterns in athletes with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) is a typical 'silent ' arrhythmogenic cardio-myopathy in athletes, with the possibility of normal ventricular performance and life-threatening arrhythmias. We studied 32 athletes (28M, 4F), mean age 23 years, follow-up 6-7years, 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 Holler 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 years, 20 had clinical sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) (19/20, 95 % during sports activity), six non-sustained VT and one ventricular fibrillation (VF). Severe symptoms occurred in 16/32 athletes (50%) during sports activity in 13/16 (81%): presyncope in nine (non-sustained VT in one, sustained VT in eight); syncope in five (sustained VT); aborted sudden death (SD) in one, SD (follow-up) in one. The reproducibility (HM, ST, EES) of clinically severe arrhythmic manifestations which occurre