POPLITEAL VENOUS ANEURYSM LEADING TO MASSIVE PULMONARY EMBOLUS IN A CHILD - A CASE-REPORT AND LITERATURE-REVIEW

Popliteal venous aneurysms are rarely reported but represent a known s ource for pulmonary emboli, Early diagnosis with prompt excision of th e aneurysm and venous reconstruction eliminate the embolic source and prevent long-term sequelae of venous stasis, The authors present the c ase of a twelve-year-old girl with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome who pres ented with a massive pulmonary embolus. Magnetic resonance angiography defined a saccular aneurysm of the popliteal vein, which was confirme d by contrast venography. The patient underwent resection of the venou s aneurysm and lateral venorrhaphy. This is the twenty-sixth report in the English-language literature of pulmonary embolism originating fro m a popliteal venous aneurysm, and the youngest patient to date.