Abstract
Popliteal arterial injuries which accompany blunt traumas around the knee joints are rare, but often inevitably result in the amputation of the lower extremities. The present report describes a case of popliteal arterial injury associated with blunt trauma around the knee joint that with a successful outcome achieved by following prompt revascularization protocols. A 37-year-old woman hyper-extended her right knee joint while practicing on a trampoline. Immediately after the injury, she experienced sensory and motor impairment in her right lower extremity, and was immediately transported to our hospital. A CT angiogram of the right lower extremity showed a bone fracture of the proximal end of the right tibia and occlusion of the right popliteal artery. An emergency operation was performed immediately after examination. During surgery, a crushed and twisted portion of the right popliteal artery (about 2 cm) in length was found behind the fracture site. The affected portion of the artery was resected, and the right popliteal artery was repaired by end-to-end anastomosis. The postoperative outcome was excellent, which justified our emergency repair of the popliteal artery to avoid amputation of the lower extremity in the present case.
