A CASE OF CYSTIC ADVENTITIAL DISEASE OF THE POPLITEAL ARTERY DERIVING FROM A POPLITEAL CYST

A 68-year-old woman was suffering from long-lasting (about 3 months) pain and coldness of the right lower leg after bicycle riding, which were relieved in one or two hours of resting. Angiography revealed a nodular shadow defect 4 cm in length on the right popliteal artery. CT showed cystic lesions in the popliteal region which involved the artery. At operation, the cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery connected to a popliteal cyst was removed and end to end anastomosis was performed for the reconstruction of the artery.Cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery is a rare entity with about 200 cases reported in the world. The etiology of the disease remains unclear. The authors collected and analyzed 38 cases reported in Japan and came to the hypothesis that a popliteal cyst is one of the causes of the cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery. Until the etiology is well elucidated, one must excise the cystic lesion en-bloc with the popliteal artery and a possibility of the connection between the cystic lesion and adjacent knee joint should be carefully examined during the operation and also by pathological studies.