title: Bilateral popliteal artery entrapment syndrome: reemphasis on reading axial tomograms.
abstract: A 33-year-old man with bilateral popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) presented with right calf claudication. He underwent radiological studies including conventional arteriography, multidetector row CT (MDCT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lower extremities. He had been fine since birth and athletic in his school days. Axial tomographic images by MDCT and MRI at the popliteal fossa bilaterally showed an anomalous medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle between the popliteal artery and vein, resulting in right popliteal artery occlusion and leading to the diagnosis of bilateral PAES type II. MDCT or MR facilitates noninvasive computer-aided arteriography and is often utilized for screening patients with claudication for peripheral arterial diseases. However, axial tomograms are more essential for confirming PAES than arteriography, and radiologists should continue to look for possible abnormalities on popliteal fossa tomograms because early diagnosis of PAES allows better choices and outcomes of treatment.
authors: Division of Diagnostic Radiology, Department of Radiology, Tenri Hospital, Tenri, Japan.
authors: Yukihisa
authors: Y
authors: Tamaki
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Sano
authors: Takuya
authors: T
authors: Okada
authors: Masaru
authors: M
authors: Narabayashi
authors: Tomohisa
authors: T
authors: Hashimoto
authors: Haruka
authors: H
authors: Uezono
authors: Naoaki
authors: N
authors: Kusunoki
authors: Takaki
authors: T
authors: Maeda
authors: Takanori
authors: T
authors: Higashino
authors: Takanori
authors: T
authors: Taniguchi
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Noma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011150:Popliteal Artery; D013577:Syndrome; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed