Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome of the monozygotic twin--a case report and pathogenetic hypothesis

A 22 year old Japanese man with popliteal artery entrapment syndrome in which both popliteal arteries were segmentally occluded and deviated medially, underwent surgical treatment by grafting and patching with autologous veins. His identical co-twin was also found to have a less severe form of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome. This is the first report of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome presenting in a pair of monozygotic twins and the concordance of the syndrome suggests that genetic factors may play a part in the development of this rare syndrome.