[Cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery].

This strange lesion has been described as colloid degeneration, adventitial cyst, adventitial cystic disease, cystic degeneration of the popliteal artery. The disease was also observed in other localizations and the first case, which was described in 1946 by Atkins and Key (I) concerned an iliac artery. Bizard (2) in 1978 reported a case of the common femoral artery. Ejrup and Hiertonn (4) described the first popliteal localization in 1954. Bergan in 1970 reported 40 cases and collected 115 operated cases in Rutherford's Vascular Surgery (5). Usually a young patient complaints from a recent severe intermittent claudication. At surgery a cystic lesion is found into the adventitia of the popliteal artery, containing gelatinous material which may be easily evacuated without opening the lumen of the artery. This lesion is totally different from atheroma and also from medial cystic necrosis as described by Erdheim.