title: Evaluation of popliteal arteries with CT angiography in popliteal artery entrapment syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Popliteal artery entrapment is an uncommon clinical entity that occurs due to compression of the popliteal artery by adjacent muscle and tendinous structures. Early diagnosis should be established through a combined approach of careful physical examination and history-taking, duplex ultrasonography, and CT angiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have studied retrospectively 16 patients of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome, 9 men and 7 women. All patients were scanned with a scanner Picker PQ 5000 after bolus injection of nonionic contrast medium and they all underwent a two-part examination first, with the knee in a neutral position, and, second, with the knee hyperextended.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the second phase of the examination 3 patients showed normal findings, 10 patients have shown mild stenosis of the popliteal artery or more severe stenosis due to compression, 2 patients have exhibited bilateral stenosis and 1 patient has also showed popliteal venous compression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CT angiography images and three-dimensional images are useful not only for depiction of the arterial changes but also identification of the abnormal anatomic structures responsible for the entrapment.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department, Papageorgiou General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. sofiapapaioannou@in.gr
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Papaioannou
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsitouridis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giataganas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodokalakis
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kyriakou
authors.forename: Ch
authors.initials: Ch
authors.lastname: Papastergiou
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arvaniti
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsitouridis