Demetrios Spanos was shocked when his doctor discovered a potentially life-threatening weakening affecting his body?s largest blood vessel, the aorta, during a routine physical examination.
He had had no symptoms, and was relieved to find out that the weak spot, called an aortic aneurysm, had been caught while it was still small.
For the next few years, a vascular surgeon at the University of Michigan monitored his aortic aneurysm until it reached a dangerous size and required surgery. Aneurysms smaller than 2 inches usually are not too risky. But when they become larger, their potential for rupture is great enough to require surgery. Today, almost a year after his successful surgery at U-M, Spanos credits the early detection with saving his life.
Others may soon be like Spanos. As of this year, many newly qualified Medicare patients will be able to receive screening for aneurysms as part of their regular ?Welcome to Medicare? physical exam. Men age 65 and older who are current or former smokers, and both men and women who have a family history of aortic aneurysms, are eligible for the free screening ? a painless ultrasound test similar to the kind performed on pregnant women.
Routine screenings are important in early detection and treatment of aortic aneurysms, especially because many patients have no symptoms. ?The bottom line is to recognize the existence of an aneurysm before something bad happens,? says U-M vascular surgeon James Stanley, M.D., a director of the U-M Cardiovascular Center who operated on Spanos.
?Most of us recognize the recent changes in Medicare law as the beginning of something that is very logical. It?s a real benefit to society, and these early screening programs will save many lives,? he adds.
Approximately 15,000 Americans die each year of ruptured aortic aneurysms, and it is the 10th most common cause of death in the United States. An aortic aneurysm occurs when the walls of the aorta weaken and the artery begins to bulge. If left untreated, the aorta may eventually burst, often causing fatal internal bleeding.
?When that happens, it?s a disaster,? says Stanley, the Handleman Research Professor of Vascular Surgery. ?If rupture occurs outside of a hospital setting, there?s at least an 80 percent chance that the patient will die. So the whole idea is to recognize these aneurysms beforehand and treat them before they can rupture.?
Men are almost four times as likely to develop an aneurysm, especially men age 65 and older. For women, aneurysms are more likely to occur after the age of 75. However, people who smoke or used to smoke, or who have high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels, also have a much greater chance of developing one.