In all 57 percent of men and 48 percent of women had either a trans-thoracic echocardiogram (called a TTE for short) or a trans-esophageal echocardiogram (TEE) to look at their hearts. TTEs are performed using an ultrasound device outside the body, while TEEs use a scope inserted down the throat to get a better look at the heart.

Just over 70 percent of men had some form of test to evaluate their carotid arteries, either an ultrasound scan, an invasive X-ray exam called an angiogram, or an MRI carotid exam. By contrast, 62 percent of women had a carotid exam of some sort. National experts advise that all ischemic stroke patients whose strokes are thought or known to affect the part of the brain fed by the carotid arteries (so-called anterior circulation strokes) should have carotid evaluation.

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Contact: Kara Gavin
kegavin@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
26-Sep-2005