About Me

I am Antonio Pelliccia and this is my website

My present position is Chief of Cardiology of the Institute of Sports Medicine and Science of the Italian National Olympic Committee. Rome. Italy

My Education

Medical Degree at the University Medical School La Sapienza in Rome, 1975

Specialization in Cardiovascular Disease, 1979 and subsequently in Sport Medicine, 1983.

I have spent large part of my professional activity at Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, Rome. Substantial part of my education has been in the US, at the National Institute of Health, Cardiology Branch, Bethesda, Maryland, University Hospital of the Georgetown University in Washington DC and TUFTS University Medical School in Boston.

Area of expertise

Evaluation of left ventricular hypertrophy induced by exercise conditioning.

Criteria of differential diagnosis of “athlete’s heart” from structural cardiac disease, with special regard to cardiomyopathies.

Implementation of pre-participation screening for cardiovascular disease at risk of sudden death in athletic populations.

Definition of appropriate criteria for interpretation of the 12-lead ECG in trained individuals.

Clinical assessment and recommendations for sport participation in athletes with cardiovascular diseases.

Strategies to improve the level of physical activity and sport participation in sedentary individuals.

Academic Appointments

Full Professor of Internal Medicine (Sport Medicine discipline) by the National Scientific Advisory Board of the Italian Ministry of Research and University.

Professor of Sport Cardiology. Postgraduate School of Sport Medicine. University of Rome and L’Aquila.

Adjunct Professor in Sports Cardiology. Tufts University Medical School, Boston, MA.

Visiting Professor at University of Belgrade School of Medicine. Belgrade. Serbia.

scopus march2020

Scopus H-Index (January 2024)

Publications

I’m the first author of over 200 papers published on peer-reviewed journals (including New England Journal of Medicine, Journal American Medical Association, Circulation, Journal American College of Cardiology, American Journal of Cardiology, European Heart Journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, International Journal of Sport Medicine).

Scientific Journal

Since 2014, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. Minerva Medica Publ. Torino.

A. Venerando, G. Caldarone, A. Pelliccia: "Metabolic Diseases". In "The Olympic Book of Sports Medicine". A. Dirix, H.G. Knuttgen, K. Tittel. (Editors) Blackwell Scientific Publications 1988. pag. 542-559.

A. Pelliccia, A Spataro, G.Caselli, A Biffi, M Granata, F Culasso. “Extreme cardiac adaptation to training: echocardiographic data and maximum oxygen uptake”. In Echocardiography 1988. A Dagianti, and H Feigembaum (Editors). Elsvier Publ. Amsterdam 1988; pag. 149-58.

P. Zeppilli, M La Rosa Gangi, C Santini, A Pelliccia, A Spataro, R Scognamiglio, A Nava. “Right heart in athletes”. In Echocardiography 1988. A Dagianti, and H Feigembaum (Editors). Elsvier Publ. Amsterdam 1988; pag. 173-8.

P Spirito, L Agati, G Derchi, A Pelliccia, M Penco, F Fabietti, A Dagianti, C Vecchio. “Noninvasive assessment of left ventricular function in athletes”. In Echocardiography 1988. A Dagianti, and H Feigembaum (Editors). Elsvier Publ. Amsterdam 1988; pag. 167-72.

A. Pelliccia; G. Caselli, P. Bellotti (Editors): “Advances in Sports Cardiology”. Springer-Verlag Italia 1997.

A. Pelliccia; BJ. Maron: “Cardiac adaptation to exercise training”. In “The Oxford Textbook of Sports Medicine” 2nd Edition. M. Harries, C. Williams, W D Stanish, LJ Micheli (Editors). Oxford University Press. Oxford 1998, pag. 301-320.

A. Pelliccia; BJ. Maron. “Screening athletes for cardiovascular disease”. In The Textbook of exercise and sports cardiology. PD Thompson (Editor) McGraw-Hill, New York. 2001; pag. 235-48.

A. Pelliccia; BJ Maron. “The Athlete’s Heart, ECG and differential diagnosis with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and other cardiomyopathies”. In Diagnosis and Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Edited by BJ Maron. Blackwell Futura, 2004; p 367-81

Corrado D, Pelliccia A, Antzelevich C, Leoni L, Schiavon M, Buja G, Maron BJ, Thiene G, Basso C. “ST-segment elevation and sudden death in the athlete”. In “The Brugada Syndrome; from bench to bedside”. Antzelevich C. (Editor). Blackwell Futura Publ. 2005; pag.130-139.

A. Pelliccia (Editor) The Athlete’s Heart: on the Border between Physiology and Pathology. Cardiology Clinics. Saunders Publ. Philadelpia 2007; 25 (3): I-XV, 371-486.

A. Pelliccia (Editor) “Sports Cardiology Casebook.” Springer Verlag. London 2009. I-XVII, 1-242.

A. Pelliccia, Di Paolo FM, Quattrini FM. Aortic Root Dilatation in Athletic Population. Progress in Cardiovascular Disease. 2012. Vol. 54, pag. 432-7

A. Pelliccia, Maron MS, Maron BJ. Assessment of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in a Trained Athlete: Differential Diagnosis of Physiologic Athlete's Heart from Pathologic Hypertrophy. Progress in Cardiovascular Disease. 2012. Vol. 54, pag. 387-96.

A. Pelliccia, D. Corrado. Cardiovascular Screening for the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes: insights from the Italian experience. In the Olympic Manual of Sport Cardiology. M. Wilson, J. Drezner, S. Sharma Editors. Chapter 8, page 74-81. Wiley Publ. 2017.

A. Pelliccia The Cardiovascular Screening Programs in Athletes: From the Italian Experience to a Global Strategy. Textbook of Sport Cardiology. Paul D. Thompson and Antonio B. Fernandez Editors. Volume 3. Chapter 2, pages 15-30. World Scientific Publ.2018.

A. Pelliccia, H Heidbuchel, Domenico Corrado, Mats Borjesson, S Sharma Editors. The ESC Textbook of Sport Cardiology. Oxford University Press, pag I-XIV, 1-461. Oxford 2019.

A Pelliccia (Editor) Sport and Heart Disease. In the ESC Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine (3rd Edition). Editors J Camm, T Luscher, G Maurer, PW Serruys. Oxford University Press. Section 55. Pag. 2913-2934. Oxford 2019.

Thijssen CGE, Bons LR, Gökalp AL, Van Kimmenade RRJ, Mokhles MM, Pelliccia A, Takkenberg JJM, Roos-Hesselink JW. Exercise and sports participation in patients with thoracic aortic disease: a review. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2019 Apr;17(4):251-266. doi: 10.1080/14779072.2019.1585807.

Adami PE and Pelliccia A. Prevention Strategies in Cardiovascular Diseases. Part V. chapter 38^th. In Injury and Health Risk Management in Sports. A guide to decision making. W. Krutsch, H. O. Mayr, V. Musahl, F DeVilla, P. M. Tscholl, H. Jones Editors. Springer 2020.

Adami PE and Pelliccia A. General aspects of Return-to-play after specific cardiovascular diaseses. Part V. chapter 40^th. In Injury and Health Risk Management in Sports. A guide to decision making. W. Krutsch, H. O. Mayr, V. Musahl, F DeVilla, P. M. Tscholl, H. Jones Editors. Springer 2020

Luna Cavigli, Flavio D’Ascenzi, Antonio Pelliccia, and Franco Cecchi. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Left Ventricular Non-Compaction. Pages 49-56. in Sport-related sudden cardiac death Causes and prevention. Delise P and Zeppili P . Editors. Springer. link.springer.com