Repair of Femoral and Popliteal Artery Aneurysms

Abstract

Femoral and popliteal artery aneurysms constitute most peripheral aneurysms. In general, with both femoral and popliteal artery aneurysms, elective repair and reconstruction tend to be associated with significantly better postoperative outcomes than emergency repair undertaken after a limb-threatening complication. Specific treatment decisions may be influenced by the presence or absence of symptoms of aneurysmal disease. For femoral artery aneurysms, this chapter presents the preoperative evaluation, operative planning, operative technique (endovascular repair, ultrasound-guided compression, and open surgical repair), and outcome evaluation. For popliteal aneurysms, this chapter discusses the preoperative evaluation, operative planning (indications for repair and preoperative arterial thrombolysis), operative technique (open vs. endovascular repair), and outcome evaluation (dependent on whether surgical or endovascular).  This review contains 15 figures, 9 tables, and 41 references. Keywords:Lower extremity aneurysm, popliteal artery aneurysm, femoral artery aneurysm, surgical repair, endovascular repair, thrombosis, embolization