Karaolanis Georgios, Galyfos George, Karanikola Evridiki, Palla Viktoria Varvara, Filis Konstantinos
1st Department of Surgery, Vascular Surgery Unit, Laikon General Hospital, Medical School of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Division of Vascular Surgery, 1st Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, University of Athens Medical School, Hippokration General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Case Rep Vasc Med. 2015;2015:821094. doi: 10.1155/2015/821094. Epub 2015 May 21.
The exact knowledge of popliteal artery and its branches' anatomic variations is important for the clinical practice of angiology, vascular surgery, and interventional procedures. Congenital absence of the artery leads, in some cases, to early malformations of the extremity in the childhood; however, it may also remain asymptomatic. We present an unusual case of a 76-year-old male patient complaining of paraesthesia in both limbs and bilateral aplasia of posterior tibial artery (PTA). Physical examination, ankle-brachial indexes, before and after exercise, arterial duplex scan, and magnetic resonance arteriography were performed. Arterial pulses for PTA at the level of the ankle were normal; arterial duplex study showed biphasic arterial flow at the level of the ankle. Color duplex ultrasound as well as magnetic resonance arteriography revealed the absence of the PTA in both limbs. The vascularization of the fibula was bilaterally normal. The patient underwent also neurological examination and electromyography, which were normal. The evaluation of the possible clinical signs and symptoms and the hemodynamic consequences of this condition are further discussed.
腘动脉及其分支解剖变异的确切知识对于血管病学、血管外科和介入手术的临床实践至关重要。在某些情况下，动脉先天性缺失会导致儿童期肢体早期畸形；然而，它也可能无症状。我们报告一例不寻常的病例，一名76岁男性患者，主诉双下肢感觉异常及双侧胫后动脉（PTA）发育不全。进行了体格检查、运动前后的踝臂指数、动脉双功扫描和磁共振血管造影。踝部水平的PTA动脉搏动正常；动脉双功检查显示踝部水平有双相动脉血流。彩色双功超声以及磁共振血管造影显示双下肢均无PTA。双侧腓骨的血管化正常。患者还接受了神经检查和肌电图检查，结果均正常。本文进一步讨论了这种情况可能的临床体征和症状以及血流动力学后果。
