Vascular ultrasound diagnosis and clinical implications of aberrant anterior tibial artery: case report.

The lower limb is vascularized by the femoral artery, which continues as the popliteal artery. After the distal margin of the popliteus muscle, the popliteal artery divides into the anterior and posterior tibial arteries. Anatomical variations in the bifurcation of the popliteal artery are frequent. One such variation is the aberrant anterior tibial artery, in which the artery runs anterior to the popliteus muscle instead of following the normal dorsal course. We report a case in which this anatomical variation was diagnosed with vascular ultrasound in a patient complaining of intermittent claudication in the left lower limb. The examination ruled out any possibility of obstructive arterial injury and identified a high bifurcation of the popliteal artery and the anterior tibial artery running anterior to the popliteus muscle and the tibial cortex. This anomalous variation is of great clinical importance, especially in surgical procedures involving the knee. Surgical injury to these arteries can lead to formation of pseudoaneurysm, compartment syndrome, or necrosis and can even result in limb amputation.