Popliteal Artery Aneurysm

Popliteal artery is the name of the artery behind the knee. It supplies the blood to your calf and foot. It can also under go aneurysm dilatation like the aorta; however blockages are more common than aneurysms in this area. It can occur in both legs in 50% of the cases.

Unlike aortic aneurysms, they rarely burst. The most commonly block suddenly or send off clots to the leg. This can cause significant injury to the leg and foot and in some cases limb loss. Therefore once the artery is bigger than 2 to 3cm they tend to be repaired.

Repair is usually done by bypass like in fem-pop bypass and affected artery taken out of circulation. In patients that have significant medical problems stents are used to reinforce the weak section. However due to the artery being in an area that bends when you bend your knee bypass surgery tends to preferred option.

Back to: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.