Abstract
Purpose
We sought to evaluate the incidence of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) in patients who have a diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
Methods
It has been previously documented that patients with AAA have a greater incidence of PAA. During the past 11 years, 163 patients presented to the Vascular Laboratory at Harborview Medical Center with an AAA. Seventy-one (44%) of these patients had popliteal arteries evaluated using duplex ultrasound (Advanced Technology Laboratory 3000, 5000, 9000). The popliteal artery was measured in the anteroposterior and transverse diameters. A PAA was defined as an artery larger than 1.5 cm and/or an ectatic artery with thrombus present.
Results
Fourteen patients had a PAA; six patients (43%) had PAA bilaterally, for a total of 20 aneurysms. Nineteen (95%) aneurysms had thrombus present. Various interventional treatments were used: five limbs (25%) received an arterial bypass graft, two (10%) underwent amputation, and two (10%) received thrombolytic therapy
Conclusions
There is a high incidence of PAA in patients with AAA (19.7% in this series). Patients with a diagnosis of AAA should be screened for PAA and considered for elective repair to prevent the high rate of complications associated with these lesions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.