Two surgical cases of popliteal venous aneurysm with pulmonary thromboembolism

Abstract

Primary popliteal vein aneurysm is a rare pathology that often causes pulmonary thromboembolism. It often leads to recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism with anticoagulant treatment. Venous ultrasonography can very easily and quickly detect this aneurysm. Including venous ultrasonography in the work-up is therefore recommended in patients with pulmonary thromboembolism. We report two cases where venous ultrasonography was useful in detecting this rare disease. In the two patients, the first sign of popliteal vein aneurysm with thrombus was acute pulmonary thromboembolism; in one case, pulmonary thromboembolism was recurrent with anticoagulant treatment. Surgery is recommended in all cases. In our two cases, surgery was performed with complete recovery.