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“Surgical bypass and endovascular stent-grafting, both have a role in treatment of appropriately selected patients and these interventions can prevent leg amputation,” Farber continued. “Physical finding of a bounding popliteal pulse or a history of an abdominal aortic aneurysm or a popliteal aneurysm in another limb should lead to an ultrasound of the popliteal artery, a widely available and inexpensive test,” said Alik Farber (Boston Medical Centre, Boston, USA), chair of the SVS Popliteal Guideline Writing Group. Popliteal artery aneurysms can cause limb loss and therefore early diagnosis, careful follow-up, and timely treatment of this condition are paramount. Recommendations for open versus endovascular repair are given for specific patient populations based on life expectancy, as are recommendations for urgent treatment of thrombosed popliteal aneurysms based on the Rutherford acute ischaemia stage at presentation. Specific circumstances under which aneurysms may be considered for repair at a smaller size are also provided. Evidence-based recommendations regarding the evaluation of patients with known popliteal aneurysms, as well as size thresholds for repair are included. These SVS practice guidelines offer recommendations to inform the diagnosis, evaluation, treatment options, and follow-up of patients with popliteal artery aneurysms.
![popliteal pulse popliteal pulse](https://els-jbs-prod-cdn.jbs.elsevierhealth.com/cms/attachment/79c27b2b-9e6c-406c-b525-d879c26628fe/gr1_lrg.jpg)
For this reason, efforts to diagnose and initiate appropriate treatment strategies are paramount. The most serious complication of popliteal aneurysm involves clot formation with the possibility of limb loss related to lack of blood flow. Most patients with a popliteal aneurysm do not have symptoms at the time they are discovered, however, over 10% will develop symptoms within two years and over 30% will develop related complications within their lifetimes. Aneurysms of the popliteal artery are the most common aneurysms outside of the brain and abdominal aorta. The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has released new clinical practice guidelines to ensure that patients with popliteal artery aneurysms receive appropriate treatment and care.