Positive clinical outcomes of the saphenous vein interposition technique for ruptured popliteal artery aneurysm.

Purpose: Popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) can be treated successfully by surgical and endovascular methods; however, the best treatment strategy for a ruptured PAA has yet to be established. We assessed the clinical results of using saphenous vein interposition to treat ruptured PAAs in our hospital.

Methods: The subjects of this study were seven men (average age 59 years, range 43-71 years), who underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured PAA at our hospital between January 2007 and November 2012. The patients were assessed after 1, 6, and 12 months, postoperatively.

Results: All included patients underwent saphenous vein graft interposition via a medial approach. No complications or graft thromboses were encountered in the immediate postoperative period. The patients were discharged after an average of 4 days postoperatively (range 3-5 days). The patients were followed up for an average of 32 months (range 2-60 months). The medium-term graft patency was 100%. No patients suffered early or medium-term limb loss and there was no mortality.

Conclusion: Based on our positive results, saphenous vein graft interposition should be considered as the first choice of surgical treatment for a ruptured PAA.