Popliteal artery occlusion in a young baseball athlete

Popliteal artery occlusion is a rare vascular complication in athletes and has not been previously documented in baseball players. A 21-year-old male baseball player presented with a 10-month history of progressive claudication because of repeated trauma-induced popliteal artery occlusion from frequently practicing stealing bases by sliding down onto his right leg. He was found to have a transient deficiency in both protein C and protein S. The patient underwent percutaneous transluminal recanalization angioplasty followed by anticoagulation therapy, with good results. This case illustrates the importance of awareness of this potential complication in baseball athletes, work-up for a hypercoagulable state and the feasibility of angioplasty therapy in the management of ischemic limbs after trauma.