Abstract
It is estimated that 1 % of people have significant blockages of their carotid arteries, and most are unaware of it. Strokes impact 795,000 Americans a year, many of whom are killed or disabled, and many strokes are caused by blocked carotids. Carotid ultrasound screening can detect blocked carotid arteries. Out of 1,000 asymptomatic people found to have blocked carotids and who undergo treatment, 27 strokes will be prevented. Of those 1,000 people, 30 strokes or deaths will occur during the surgery. Also, carotid ultrasounds have a high false positive rate in asymptomatic people; it is estimated that of 1,000 abnormal tests, 400 are false positives, and those can lead to unnecessary testing and treatment. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding the benefits of carotid artery screening and subsequent risks associated with medical intervention. Information presented to doctors and patients tends to be misleading and difficult to interpret. This is due, in large part, to the use of relative risks rather than absolute values when communicating information on carotid screening benefits. In light of this situation, a unique graphic, functioning as a decision aid, has been developed to enable physicians and patients to jointly assess the benefits and risks of carotid screening and eventual medical intervention. By characterizing the complexities of risk analysis in terms patients can understand, means they will be able to make well-informed decisions about their health.
An erratum to this chapter is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11544-3_26
An erratum to this chapter can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11544-3_26
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Rifkin, E., Lazris, A. (2015). Screening for Carotid Disease in Asymptomatic Patients. In: Interpreting Health Benefits and Risks. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11544-3_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11544-3_14
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