Abstract
Venous aneurysm (VA) is defined as a localized dilating lesion of the vein without accompanying by venous ectasia and elongation. It has been reported that VA affects various veins from the central to peripheral veins of the extremities. It is a rare entity and the etiology has not been clarified. VA involving the popliteal vein can cause pulmonary embolism. In this paper we present our experience with two cases of popliteal venous aneurysm (PVA).
Case 1 : A 42-year-old man complaining of dyspnea was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of bilateral pulmonary embolism. CT scan showed a VA 3cm in diameter with thrombi at the right popliteal vein. Anticoagulant therapy was thus started. Pulmonary embolism recurred while the patient stood by for scheduled surgery. Accordingly a permanent filter for the inferior vena cava was placed and thereafter plication suture of VA was performed.
Case 2 : A 35-year-old man was found to have a left PVA 2cm in diameter without thrombi by MRI while he had been followed for a bruise on the left knee at a traffic accident, and he was referred and admitted to the hospital. We performed plication suture of VA like in the case 1.
