Evaluation of popliteal arteries with CT angiography in popliteal artery entrapment syndrome.
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.
Papaioannou
S
S
Radiology Department, Papageorgiou General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. sofiapapaioannou@in.gr
Tsitouridis
K
K
Giataganas
G
G
Rodokalakis
G
G
Kyriakou
V
V
Papastergiou
Ch
Ch
Arvaniti
M
M
Tsitouridis
I
I