Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 14, Issue 11 805-811, Copyright © 1995 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Popliteal vein compression due to popliteal artery aneurysm: effects of aneurysm size
P. S. Kotval, P. M. Shah, S. C. Babu, J. Charalel and B. Reiter
Ultrasound Section, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA.
Unlike the venous compression associated with larger popliteal artery
aneurysms, which frequently is associated with deep vein thrombosis, the
venous compression caused by the moderate sized (greater than 2 cm and less
than 3 cm) aneurysms in the reported cases is not associated with
thrombosis. The extrinsic compressive effect of these moderate sized
popliteal artery aneurysms on the adjacent vein is shown to vary with the
patient's leg position. Three of the four patients with unilateral leg
swelling discussed here had bilateral popliteal artery aneurysms. In these
cases, the contralateral leg had a small popliteal aneurysm (less than 2
cm) and no leg swelling was present. The cases suggest that popliteal
artery aneurysm size is an important factor in determining the type of
venous obstruction that results from the extrinsic compression of the
ipsilateral popliteal vein. The described phenomenon of a popliteal artery
aneurysm having the effect of restricting flow in the ipsilateral popliteal
vein must be included as a differential diagnosis among the causes of
unilateral leg swelling in the absence of deep vein thrombosis.
