title: Cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery: report on three cases and review of the literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the past nine years three cases of cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery have been diagnosed and treated in our medical institution. Different approaches were used in the treatment in all these cases. The purpose of this report is to summarise the current knowledge of the etiology, presentation, diagnostics and treatment of this condition, with the addition of new cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information about three new cases is presented and discussed together with that from the relevant publications obtained from the Pubmed database. Results. In the first case resection with synthetic graft interposition was used. Nine years after the surgery the patient is without any signs of recurrence, but he experienced local thrombolysis of the occluded graft and repeated PTA of hemodynamically significant anastomotic stenoses. The second case treated with US-guided aspiration has demanded repeated reinterventions due to recurrence; nevertheless, the result is satisfactory. In the last instance, the cyst was evacuated and excised. Six months after the surgery the patient is symptom-free and without signs of recurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CAD of the popliteal artery is a rare vascular condition. However, it must be considered in the differential diagnosis, especially in middle-aged male patients without evidence of atherosclerotic disease in whom intermittent claudication has developed suddenly with a rapid progression or with fluctuation in severity. Duplex ultrasound and MRA are the the best diagnostic methods. Based on the existing knowledge, the treatment of choice is surgery (either evacuation with the removal of the cystic wall or resection and grafting).
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II - Vascular and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic. petr.drac@fnol.cz
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Drac
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Köcher
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Utikal
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cerna
authors.forename: Jiri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kozak
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bachleda
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D003560:Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000209:etiology; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011150:Popliteal Artery; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex