Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome.

Popliteal vascular entrapment is second only to atherosclerosis as the most common surgically correctible cause of leg claudication in young adults. Affected patients are often athletic individuals who present before the age of 50. This chapter highlights the abnormal developmental anatomy that is now accepted as the cause of popliteal entrapment and serves as the basis for the modern classification system. The importance of the unique histopathological changes observed in arterial entrapment syndromes are summarized, and the natural history of chronic arterial compression is reviewed. The diagnosis, investigation, and treatment proposed are based upon the currently published literature.