Variations in the branching pattern of the popliteal artery: a CT angiography study

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to reveal the different branching patterns of the popliteal artery by computed tomography angiography (CTA) in a large sample. Methods: CTA images of 1500 lower extremities of 750 patients (603 males, 147 females) with a mean age of 56.4±19.6 were evaluated retrospectively. The variations in the branching pattern of the popliteal artery and the frequency of these variations were examined and classified under three main types. Results: Type I–A was observed in 1422 extremities (94.8%) and noted as the most common branching pattern of the popliteal artery; Type I–B and Type I–C was observed in 39 extremities (2.6%); Type II in 37 extremities (2.4%) and Type III in 2 extremities (0.1%). The bilateral incidence of Type I–A was 90.8%. The incidence of bilateral variation was 0.4% for Type I–B and 0.1% for Type II–B. No statistically significant difference was found in terms of side and gender. Conclusion: Evaluation of lower extremity arteriograms is important in the diagnosis and surgery of peripheral vascular diseases. For this reason, it is important to know the branching pattern of the popliteal artery. We believe that the classification system that we used will be useful in evaluating the different variations, particulary the branching levels of the branches of the popliteal artery.