According to UAE Team Emirates, Diego Ulissi has been diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm and will undergo electrophysiological testing on January 19.

The 31-year-old Italian will visit the Liuniti Hospital in Ancona on the central Adriatic coast, where he will undergo electrical mapping of his heart to determine the need to remove an existing arrhythmia.

"Due to an abnormal rhythm found during a routine physical examination, Diego Ulissi will undergo an electrophysiological examination on the 19th. The examination will be carried out by Professor Antonio Dello Russo at the Liuniti Hospital in Ancona," a statement from UAE Team Emirates said.

"The test will involve a detailed analysis of the electrical mapping of the heart and potentially eliminate arrhythmias. Further updates will not be released until the results of the study are available.

UAE Team Emirates announced in December that Ulissi had been diagnosed with myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and would have to miss training and competition.

When Ulissi underwent a routine pre-season physical, an irregular heartbeat was detected, and a subsequent MRI scan revealed that it was myocarditis.

The team announced at the time that Ulissi would have to take "several months" off and would be out of competition indefinitely; La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Ulissi has since avoided physical exertion. He did not visit the UAE with his teammates or attend preseason get-togethers.

Prior to his diagnosis, Ulissi won two stages at the Giro d'Italia and the overall at the Tour of Luxembourg. He also finished second overall at the Tour Down Under and on the podium at Gran Piemonte and Giro delle Miglia. He also signed a two-year contract extension with UAE Team Emirates until the end of 2022.

Professor Antonio Dello Russo of the Liuniti Hospital in Ancona will conduct an electrophysiological examination and analysis of Ulissi to determine if he can benefit from further treatment. Dello Russo operated on Mario Cipollini last year for an episode of atrial fibrillation.

Electrophysiologic testing involves inserting several small catheters into the iliac-femoral vein in the groin and sending them up to the ventricles of the heart to check for and locate possible arrhythmias. If an arrhythmia is found, the surgeon determines whether an ablation procedure is necessary. In an ablation procedure, the heart cells that are causing the arrhythmia are destroyed by electrical signals.