Men’s Health
Ultrasound can help diagnose a wide variety of conditions in men, ranging from heart disease to abnormalities in the prostate gland or testicles. Because ultrasound works by bouncing sound waves off of organs and other tissues, it can also be used to look for gallstones, liver damage and kidney dysfunction.
Heart Disease
Heart disease kills more than 455,000 men each year (double the number of men killed by cancer), making it the single largest killer of males in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.
By using ultrasound, doctors may be able to pinpoint trouble spots and help men avoid life-threatening heart conditions as well as stroke and hypertension, which also are leading killers of men. For example, a doctor can image the heart muscle to detect damage, congenital defects or hereditary abnormalities. By imaging the carotid artery using Color Doppler ultrasound, doctors can check for the development of plaque-the precursor to potentially, deadly coronary artery disease, the cause of 80 percent of all heart attacks. In some cases, this can help to predict the chances of developing coronary artery disease, allowing doctors the opportunity to prescribe early treatment options.