RESUMO O miocárdio não compactado é uma cardiomiopatia congênita caracterizada pela presença de trabeculações anormais no ventrículo esquerdo. O presente estudo descreve o caso de uma paratleta de goalball, 14 anos, sexo feminino, assintomática, com história pessoal de nistagmo congênito e leve deficiência visual, que apresentou alterações eletrocardiográficas inespecíficas durante avaliação pré-participação. A ressonância magnética cardíaca evidenciou presença de não compactação miocárdica (relação entre camada não compactada/camada compactada igual a 2,5) e disfunção sistólica biventricular leve. Inicialmente, a paciente foi afastada da prática de esportes, e o seguimento clínico foi realizado a cada 3 meses. A paciente permaneceu assintomática durante o período de 1 ano de seguimento, sem história de síncope inexplicada, comprometimento significativo da função sistólica ou taquiarritmias ventriculares importantes ao teste de esforço. Por fim, ela foi liberada para prática competitiva de goalball, e o seguimento clínico foi mantido a cada 6 meses. Não há consenso quanto aos critérios de elegibilidade para a prática esportiva nos casos de miocárdio não-compactado. Assim, é prudente individualizar a decisão quanto a prática esportiva, bem como considerar a participação em esportes competitivos para indivíduos assintomáticos e sem repercussões da doença.

ABSTRACT The left ventricular noncompaction is a congenital cardiomyopathy characterized by the presence of abnormal trabeculations in the left ventricle. The present study describes the case of a 14-year-old female Para athlete, who plays goalball. She was asymptomatic, with history of congenital nystagmus and mild visual impairment, who presented nonspecific electrocardiographic abnormalities during pre-competition screening. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed left ventricular non-compaction (non-compacted to compacted layer ratio equal to 2.5) and mild biventricular systolic dysfunction. Initially, the patient was excluded from sports participation and clinical follow-up was performed every three months. Patient remained asymptomatic during the one-year follow-up, with no history of unexplained syncope, marked impairment of systolic function or significant ventricular arrhythmias at the exercise stress test. Finally, she was released for competitive goalball participation and clinical follow-up was continued every 6 months. There is no consensus regarding the eligibility criteria for sports participation in cases of left ventricular non-compaction. Thus, it is prudent to individualize the decision regarding practice of sports, as well as to consider participation in competitive sports for asymptomatic individuals and with no disease repercussions.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Athlete’s heart is a term describing the cardiovascular effects of long-term conditioning among highly trained athletes. It is a variation of normal standards. DESIGN AND SETTING: Case series study at the cardiology division of a public university hospital. METHODS: We studied 14 visually handicapped paralympic athletes (8 men) in the national judo team. They were 26.3 ± 6.4 years old, with body mass index 25 ± 14, and had been practicing judo for 9.2 ± 7.9 years. Clinical evaluations, electrocardiograms, exercise testing and echocardiograms were performed by independent observers. RESULTS: Signs of athlete’s heart were found in all athletes, comprising left ventricular hypertrophy (5 cases), sinus bradycardia (5), T-wave juvenile pattern (3), T wave juvenile pattern (3), left atrial hypertrophy (2) and increased left ventricular volume (9 cases; 62.22 ± 6.46 ml/m2). There were very strong correlations between left ventricular mass/body surface and endurance time (r: 0.91) and estimated peak oxygen uptake (r: 0.8). The correlations between left ventricular internal diastolic dimension and endurance time (r: 0.91) and estimated peak oxygen uptake (r: 0.8) were strong. Despite increased left ventricular dimensions (4 cases), atrial dimensions (1) and relative wall thickness (4), all athletes had normal left ventricular mass/body surface (89.98 ± 21.93 g/m²). The exercise testing was normal: exercise duration 706 ± 45 seconds and estimated peak oxygen uptake 62.70 ± 9.99 mlO2/min. CONCLUSIONS: Signs of athlete’s heart were seen frequently in the paralympic judo team. These demonstrated the presence of mild cardiac adaptations to training.

OBJECTIVES: In athletes, isolated electrocardiogram high voltage criteria are widely used to evaluate left ventricular hypertrophy, but positive findings are thought to represent normal electrocardiogram alterations. However, which electrocardiogram criterion can best detect left ventricular hypertrophy in athletes of various sport modalities remains unknown. METHODS: Five electrocardiogram criteria used to detect left ventricular hypertrophy were tested in 180 male athletes grouped according to their sport modality: 67% low-static and high-dynamic components and 33% high-static and high-dynamic components of exercise. The following echocardiogram parameters are the gold standard for diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy: left ventricular mass index ≥134 g.m-2, relative wall thickness ≥0.42 mm, left ventricular diastolic diameter index ≥32 mm.m-2, septum wall thickness ≥13 mm, and posterior wall thickness ≥13 mm. Results for the various criteria were compared using the kappa coefficient. Significance was established at p<0.05. RESULTS: Fifty athletes (28%) presented with left ventricular hypertrophy according to electrocardiogram findings, with the following sensitivities and specificities, respectively: 38-53% and 79-83% (Perugia), 22-40% and 89-91% (Cornell), 24-29% and 90% (Romhilt-Estes), 68-87% and 20-23% (Sokolow-Lyon), and 0% and 99% (Gubner). The Perugia and Cornell criteria had higher negative predictive values for the low-static and high-dynamic subgroup. Kappa coefficients were higher for Romhilt-Estes, Cornell and Perugia criteria than for Sokolow-Lyon and Gubner criteria. CONCLUSION: All five evaluated criteria are inadequate for detecting left ventricular hypertrophy, but the Perugia, Cornell and Romhilt-Estes criteria are useful for excluding its presence. The Perugia and Cornell criteria were more effective at excluding left ventricular hypertrophy in athletes involved in a sport modality with low-static and high-dynamic component predominance.

Introdução: Apesar dos avanços na área da medicina diagnóstica, a discrepância entre os diagnósticos clínicos e os da autópsia tem permanecido em torno de 10-20%. É importante reverter esta tendência por medidas que valorizam a realização e a otimização das autópsias. Objetivos: Comparar prospectivamente os achados macro e microscópicos de 200 autópsias, visando analisar o impacto e a relação custo/benefício do estudo histopatológico de todos os órgãos sobre os diagnósticos provisórios macroscópicos e sobre os laudos finais de encerramento. Metodologia: Analisamos 200 autópsias consecutivas realizadas no Departamento de Patologia da Escola Paulista de Medicina/Unifesp, e avaliamos a concordância e a discordância entre os diagnósticos macroscópicos provisórios e os microscópicos finais. Resultados: Houve concordância entre os diagnósticos macro e microscópicos em 143 casos (71,5%) e discordâncias em 22 casos (11%), classificadas como leves em 14 casos (7%) e graves em oito casos (4%). Em 35 casos (17,5%), a histopatologia revelou alterações sem expressão macroscópica e cujo diagnóstico final foi histológico. Conclusão: O elevado índice de concordância detectado entre os diagnósticos macro e microscópicos, sendo a maioria das discordâncias classificada como leve, parece indicar que as autópsias podem ser encerradas com estudo histopatológico limitado às alterações macroscópicas mais evidentes, com significativa redução de custo (cerca de R$ 300,00 por autópsia) e grande melhoria no retorno, em curto período de tempo, da informação para o corpo clínico da instituição.

Background: Despite the development in diagnostic medicine, discrepancy between clinical diagnoses and the ones obtained by autopsy has remained around 10-20%. It is important to revert this tendency by measures that value the realization and optimization of autopsies. Objectives: Prospectively compare gross and microscopic findings of 200 autopsies, viewing to analyze the impact and the cost/benefit value of the histopathological study of all organs over provisory microscopic diagnoses and over enclosure final awards. Methods: We analyzed 200 consecutive autopsies performed at Departamento de Patologia da Escola Paulista de Medicina/Unifesp and evaluated agreement and disagreement between provisory gross diagnoses and final microscopic ones. Results: There was agreement between gross and microscopic findings in 143 cases (71.5%) and disagreement in 22 cases (11%), classified as light in 14 cases (7%) and serious in eight cases (4%). In 35 cases (17.5%), histopathological study revealed alterations with no gross significance which had final histological diagnosis. Conclusion: The high agreement index detected between gross and microscopic findings, most discrepancies being classified as light, seems to indicate that autopsies may be closed with histopathological study limited to the most evident gross alterations, with significant cost reduction (around R$ 300 per autopsy) and great improvement in the return, in a short period of time, of information to the institution clinical staff.