Spontaneous popliteal artery dissection: A case report and review of the literature

Spontaneous arterial dissection of a peripheral artery involving an extremi ty is a rare event. We report a case of atraumatic, nonaneurysmal dissectio n of the popliteal artery that occurred in a 62-year-old man who was admitt ed with progressive right lower-extremity claudication. Preoperative arteri ography was suggestive of arterial dissection, and surgical treatment was u ndertaken before irreversible ischemia developed. Intraoperatively, a disse ction of the popliteal artery was observed, and the patient underwent femor al-popliteal bypass grafting with the ipsilateral, greater saphenous vein a nd the popliteal artery was ligated distal to the dissection. Spontaneous d issection limited to the popliteal artery has not previously been reported in the literature. Successful management depends on consideration of the di agnosis, particularly when other, more common diseases have been excluded.