Variations in anatomy of the popliteal artery and its side branches.

Knowledge of anatomic variations of the popliteal artery is essential for the management of peripheral vascular disease and in orthopedic surgery. The aim of this study was to perform an overview of the literature describing variations of the popliteal artery. To identify relevant literature, we performed a systematic search on MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.