The existence of a specific cardiac phenotype in humans characterised as the "Athlete's Heart" is generally acknowledged. Whether athletes also exhibit characteristic vascular adaptations has received less attention. Moreover, the role of vascular structure and function in the differentiation of pathological and physiological cardiac enlargement has yet to be conclusively addressed. Recent advances in non-invasive imaging technologies have enhanced the assessment of the lumen size and wall thickness (WT) of conduit arteries. Combined with the more recent development of flow mediated dilation (FMD) techniques for the assessment of conduit arterial function, ultrasound imaging provides index parameters of vascular health. Accordingly, this thesis examined arterial structure and function in groups that demonstrate important and remarkable differences in physical activity level, ranging from elite athletes who train predominantly one side (squash players), or upper (canoe paddlers) or lower areas (cyclists, runners) versus recreational controls and spinal cord injury patients as well as wheelchair athletes. To extend this knowledge, this thesis investigated structural cardiac-vascular coupling and also to establish the arterial structure and function in Hypertrophic Cardiomopathy (HCM) patients compared to athletes with physiological enlarged hearts.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:570701 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Rowley, Nicola Jayne |
| Publisher | Liverpool John Moores University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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