Question

How serious is a popliteal aneurysm?

Answer 1

A popliteal aneurysm is a very serious condition that requires medical treatment because it poses a significant risk of limb loss.

While rupture with a popliteal aneurysm is rare, the most frequent danger of a popliteal aneurysm is the formation of blood clots that can block the blood flow to your lower leg, which can lead to severe ischemia.

Without quick and timely treatment for the popliteal aneurysm, complications can occur and can result in amputation of the affected limb.

The key risks of an untreated popliteal aneurysm are embolism and thrombosis, limb loss and rupture.

The main concern of popliteal aneurysm is not rupture, but instead the development of clots inside the aneurysm.

These clots can also break off and embolize and block the smaller arteries in your foot or calf, or the aneurysm can clot off entirely or thrombose and cut off blood flow to the leg.

If the blood flow is severely restricted, the resulting ischemia can also lead to nerve damage, gangrene, and in severe cases, amputation can be needed.

Amputation rates for popliteal aneurysms that are left untreated can be as high as 14 to 43 percent, especially in people that have severe, acute ischemia.

And while it's less common with aortic, aneurysms, rupture of the popliteal aneurysm can still occur and is a life threatening emergency that causes severe pain and internal bleeding.

Surgeons often recommend intervention for the popliteal aneurysms if it's larger than 2 cm in diameter or if it causes symptoms or those that contain visible blood clots.

And because popliteal aneurysms are often associated with other vascular conditions, your doctor will often screen you for abdominal aortic aneurysms and check your other leg for a similar aneurysm.

And when the popliteal aneurysm is managed electively, before an emergency arises, surgical or endovascular repair is highly effective, and has a limb loss rate of less than 1 percent.

If you experience any sudden pain behind your knee, numbness, coldness or if your foot or your toes become pale or blue, you should seek immediate medical attention.

A popliteal aneurysm also known as a popliteal artery aneurysm is when you have an abnormal widening of the artery that is behind the knee, which most frequently affects older men.

Popliteal artery aneurysm's are most often associated with abdominal aortic aneurysms, and are caused by atherosclerosis.

And although popliteal artery aneurysm's sometimes cause pain, coldness or numbness from clotting, most cases of popliteal artery aneurysm's are asymptomatic.

Treatment for popliteal artery aneurysm's include open bypass surgery or endovascular stent grafts.

Many people with popliteal artery aneurysm's are often unaware of having an popliteal artery aneurysm until a clot forms.

The popliteal artery aneurysm is also often accompanied by swelling, coldness and numbness.

And a pulsating swelling located behind the knee also called a palpable mass is also a symptom of popliteal artery aneurysm's.

If the popliteal artery aneurysm clots, "thromboses" it causes sudden loss of blood flow, which leads to intense pain, pale skin, and even the potential for losing the limb through amputation.

causes and risk factors for popliteal artery aneurysm's include.

Atherosclerosis, which is the most common cause and is hardening of the arteries.

Male Gender and Age, as popliteal artery aneurysm's are significantly more common in men aged 65 to 80 years of age.

And anyone with a popliteal artery aneurysm should also be screened for abdominal aortic aneurysms as they often co-exist with each other.

Smoking and hypertension are also key factors in popliteal artery aneurysm's as smoking and hypertension weaken the blood vessels.

Asymptomatic popliteal artery aneurysm's are often treated if the diameter is >20 -25 mm to prevent future clots and limb damage.

Symptomatic popliteal artery aneurysm's require urgent surgery to prevent the need for amputation of the limb affected.

Diagnosis of a popliteal artery aneurysm involve doppler ultrasonography and CT or MR Angiography.

CT or MR Angiography are used for detailed pre-operative planning and Doppler Ultrasonography is the preferred method of detecting and measuring the popliteal artery aneurysm.