BACKGROUND Traditionally, ultrasound has been used to evaluate musculoskeletal injuries in athletes; however, ultrasound applications extend well beyond musculoskeletal conditions, many of which are pertinent to athletes. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION Articles were identified in PubMed using the search terms ultrasound, echocardiogram, preparticipation physical examination, glycogen, focused assessmen...

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the current preparticipation physical evaluation (PPE) administrative policies and cardiovascular screening content of all 50 states and Washington, DC. METHODS PPE policies, documents, and forms from all 50 states and Washington, DC, were compared with the preparticipation physical evaluation-fourth edition (PPE-4) consensus recommendations. All electronic docu...

The aim of this study was to analyze using noninvasive cardiac examinations a series of young athletes discovered to have ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) during the preparticipation screening program for competitive sports. One hundred forty-five athletes (mean age 17 ± 5 years) were evaluated. The study protocol included electrocardiography (ECG), exercise testing, 2-dimensional and Doppler echo...

The present consensus panel recommendations of the 36th Bethesda Conference for eligibility and disqualification of competitive athletes are predicated on the prior diagnosis of cardiovascular abnormalities. However, the methodology by which these diseases are identified (including preparticipation screening) and how athletes come to evaluation for competitive eligibility, may involve several s...

Sudden death in athletes is a rare event but brings with it an impact that goes beyond sport. There are many causes of sudden death during exercise. While the responsibility of preventing or treating them lays with us physicians, preparticipation screening is largely ineffective and impractical. Definitive, large scale prospective research is required in order to design the most cost-effective ...

Cardiovascular screening in young athletes is widely recommended and routinely performed prior to participation in competitive sports. While there is general agreement that early detection of cardiac conditions at risk for sudden cardiac arrest and death (SCA/D) is an important objective, the optimal strategy for cardiovascular screening in athletes remains an issue of considerable debate. At t...

Screening female athletes for eating disorders is not performed commonly even though the American College of Sports Medicine, National Athletic Trainer Association, and International Olympic Committee have guidelines recommending screening. Eating disorders are more prevalent in the female athlete population than in the general population and carry short-term and long-term consequences that can...