Hypoplastic superficial femoral artery associated with bilateral persistent sciatic arteries: a diagnostic pitfall

A patient with unsuspected bilateral persistent sciatic arteries (PSAs) underwent angiography following a gunshot wound to the right thigh. A hypoplastic superficial femoral artery associated with this rare vascular anomaly was misdiagnosed as being traumatically occluded. Pitfalls in the diagnosis of PSA as well as the embryology, clinical features, and complications are discussed.