The Hand and the Heart

Passing the test (pictured) is a warning sign 

Your humble blogger is accustomed to failing tests of dexterity and flexibility, such as raising the ring finger or clover-leaf tongue rolling.

The thumb-palm test I'd rather not pass, however. [bold added]

The test is simple: Holding up one hand and keeping the palm flat, the patient flexes their thumb as far as possible across the palm.

If the thumb crosses beyond the far edge of the flat palm, the patient may be harboring a hidden aneurysm.

Yale researchers

I had to try it.

said it is important to emphasize that not everyone who tests positive is an aneurysm carrier. Also, they noted, aneurysms often take decades to progress to the point of rupture and a positive test is not cause for panic.

For the study, the researchers gave the test to 305 patients undergoing cardiac surgery for a variety of disorders, including aortic aneurysms. “Our study showed that the majority of aneurysm patients do not manifest a positive thumb-palm sign, but patients who do have a positive test have a high likelihood of harboring an aneurysm,” [Dr. John] Elefteriades said.

Passing the thumb-palm test does not guarantee an aneurysm in your future, nor does failing the test mean that you'll escape having one. It's just an indicator to guide future choices, and it doesn't cost anything.