Clinical ultrasonography in cardiovascular risk

In the prevention of cardiovascular disease, determining the cardiovascular risk is the cornerstone of preventive interventions. In this risk estimation, detecting subclinical cardiovascular damage represents a complementary tool to classic stratification based on risk factors. The versatility, availability, speed, low cost and safety of ultrasonography place it ahead of other techniques employed in detecting subclinical cardiovascular damage. The clinical practice guidelines for cardiovascular risk prevention recommend the use of ultrasonography for assessing atheromatous plaques and left ventricular hypertrophy as modulators of cardiovascular risk. Ultrasonography also has other relevant applications in cardiovascular risk, including the diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysms, kidney assessments for patients with chronic kidney disease or suspected secondary arterial hypertension and the detection of steatosis when nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is suspected.