Popliteal aneurysm
Approach
- Expose legs from groin to toes
- Inspection
- Palpation
- Femoral pulses, compare sides
- Comment whether pulses are absent or present, character of pulse
- Move to popliteal pulses
- Pulsating mass does not alter with change of position of knee
- Ankle and foot pulses may not be palpable
- Percussion
- Ausculation
Completion
- Examine the rest of the limb and the other limb for signs of peripheral vascular disease
- Examine the abdomen - 50% will have concurrent AAA
Presentation of popliteal aneursym
- From aneursym
- Lump behind knee
- Effects
- Distal limb ischaemia
- Acutely ischaemic leg
- 10% rupture
- Screening / incidental
Indications for sugery
- Symptomatic
- contains thrombi
- > 1.8cm
Surgically repaired by excision bypas (popliteal artery ligated above and below the diseased segement and interpositional graft, or simple resection and anastamosis without use of graft)
