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The aim of the study is to evaluate cardiac regional function of young athletes with false tendons (FT) in the left ventricle (LV). The focus was on mechanical asynchrony in LV wall. Forty-seven young athletes (mean age 20.2 ± 2.9 years) with connective tissue dysplasia syndrome underwent transthoracic echocardiography. To formalize FT topology, the 3D-model of LV geometry was reconstructed based on three short-axis sections and one long-axis section of LV. On average, 4.0 ± 1.0 FT with different localization and orientation in LV were determined. Cardiac function was estimated in 12 regions at LV long-axis section in the course of complete heart cycle. RMS variations of the regional systolic function duration (dT) and the variation coefficient of regional ejection fraction (Cv r-EF) for 12 regions served as measures of the mechanical asynchrony. Wide variety of asynchrony parameters was obtained. The value of dT varied from 24.2 to 84.1 ms (40.4 ± 27.8 ms); Cv r-EF — from 8.0% to 42.0% (20.83 ± 8.35%). Significant correlations between total number of FT per heart and dT (r = 0.396; P < 0.01) and between median transverse FT (connect interventricular septum and lateral LV wall) and Cv r-EF (r = 0.301; P < 0.05) were found. Detailed analyses of FT morphology with respect of LV regional function peculiarities showed that higher extent of asynchrony associates with the transverse and oblique FT mainly located at basal and/or medial portions of LV chamber.

False tendons (FT) are additional chord-like structures in left ventricle (LV) cavity considered as a phenotypic feature of the connective tissue dysplasia (CTD) syndrome. The search for a range of heart adaptability to exercise loads of young athletes with FT in LV is the aim of the proposed study. Sixty six members of student basketball and indoor soccer teams (mean age: 19.8$\pm$3.9 years) underwent treadmill stress-test and heart ultrasound transthoracic examination. Further, image processing to perform the tendons mapping within LV 3D-reconstructed model was applied. The number of FT located in different parts of LV varied from 1 to 6 units per LV. Based on the comparative and correlation analyses of data obtained, we found that the more the number of FT per LV, the less is a range of the heart adaptation to increased exercise loads. In accordance with the results of two-way multivariate analysis of variance, we concluded that the FT, located in basal and median LV zones, connecting interventricular septum and posterior-lateral parts of LV wall mainly affect the ability of the heart to adapt to exercise loads. Therefore, athletes with certain number and types of FT in the LV critically need individual prescription for exercise loads.