A SUCCESSFUL SURGICAL CASE OF POPLITEAL ARTERY OBSTRUCTION DUE TO A COMPRESSED TRAUMA

Abstract

Blunt injury of the artery due to compressed trauma is uncommon, especially localized dissection of the artery in the lower limb without open fracture and remarkable skin change. Recently we experienced a case of locally dissected obstruction of the left popliteal artery due to a compressed trauma.
A 65-year-old man hit by the shovel car in the left of the knee. His left knee was compressed between the ground and the shovel. When he was seen at the hospital, arteries under the left popliteal artery were pulseless and he complained of cold sensation. He had fissured fractures of the peroneotibial bones, but there were no open wounds and the skin was clean.
Angiography revealed locally dissected obstruction of the left popliteal artery. An orthopedic treatment was only fixation. Therefore an emergency popliteal artery reconstruction was perforned which was bypass operation with autologous saphenous vein graft. The postoperative course was uneventful successful patency of the graft. This emergency bypass operation for dissected obstruction of the popliteal artery which was thought uncommon is reported here.