Longitudinal Aortic Root Dilatation in Collegiate American-Style Football Athletes.

Background Clinically relevant aortic dilatation (>40 mm) and increased cardiovascular risk are common among retired professional American-style football athletes. Among younger athletes, the effect of American-style football participation on aortic size is incompletely understood. We sought to determine changes in aortic root (AR) size and associated cardiovascular phenotypes across the collegiate career.