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Popliteal artery branching patterns -- an angiographic study

C P Day1, R Orme

  • 1Department of Radiology, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, UK. chris.laura2001@ntlworld.com

Clinical Radiology
|July 18, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Popliteal artery branching variations occur in about 10% of patients. Understanding these anatomical differences is crucial for managing peripheral vascular disease effectively.

Area of Science:

  • Vascular anatomy
  • Medical imaging
  • Angiography

Background:

  • The popliteal artery and its infrapopliteal branches are critical for lower limb perfusion.
  • Anatomical variations in these vessels can impact surgical planning and treatment of peripheral vascular disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the prevalence and types of variations in the branching patterns of the popliteal artery and infrapopliteal vessels.
  • To highlight the clinical significance of these anatomical variations.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of femoral angiograms from 1037 lower limbs (568 patients).
  • Assessment of popliteal artery branching patterns and infrapopliteal vessel variations in a subset of 662 limbs.

Main Results:

  • A normal branching pattern was observed in 90.7% of limbs.
  • Variations in popliteal branching occurred in 9.3% of limbs, with common variations including high origin of the anterior tibial artery (4.5%) and trifurcation of the popliteal artery (3.2%).
  • Infrapopliteal vessels were normal in 99% of limbs, with rare instances of hypoplasia-aplasia (1%).

Conclusions:

  • Anatomical variations of the popliteal artery branching occur in approximately 10% of individuals.
  • Awareness of these variations is essential for clinicians managing patients with peripheral vascular disease to optimize treatment strategies.
Abstract

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