[Usefulness of the ECG in the sports screening of footballers affiliated to a regional sports federation].

We report the results of a study carried out in 825 young football club members, all of whom underwent screening for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy using a 12-lead ECG. Echocardiographic assessment was performed in only those with positive ECG results, as defined by the European Society of Cardiology. Echocardiography proved necessary in 61 (7%) individuals with positive ECG findings, of whom 7 had echocardiographic findings indicative of left ventricular hypertrophy: five were in the "gray zone", 1 was judged to have athlete's heart, and one had been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In all these cases, ECG showed repolarization abnormalities, and 4 satisfied criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy.