Cystic Adventitial Popliteal Disease: Personal Experience and Literature Review

Background: Cystic adventitial disease (CAD) primarily affects arteries and is described as a rare vascular disorder characterized by fluid accumulation in the adventitial layer of a vessel which may cause luminal narrowing or even complete occlusion. Nowadays different pathogenetic theories exist as well as different treatment solution. Case Report: We report two cases of cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery treated over the last 4 years in healthy men. Both experienced the sudden onset of intermittent calf claudication; one also presented blue toe syndrome. In both cases the diagnose was confirmed after open surgery and histological evaluation. Complete resection and autologous vein bypass were performed in one case; complete resection and direct end to end anastomosis in the others. Discussion: Cystic adventitial disease is a rare vascular disorder with different interesting theories on its aetiology. Treatment options include percutaneous ultrasound-guided aspiration, endovascular approaches and open surgical cyst excision with or without direct reconstruction. In our Institution, we faced two popliteal CAD cases; open surgery represented the treatment strategy for both: in the first case an autologous vein bypass was performed, while in the second case the artery contiguity was restored with an end-to-end anastomosis. Both patients experienced full relief of symptoms without any recurrence of the disease. Conclusion: Even if rare, popliteal artery CAD has to be suspected in young healthy patients who refer the sudden onset of acute or sub-acute symptoms related to peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Differential diagnose between popliteal entrapment syndrome and popliteal aneurysms is not always easy. When CAD is suspected or diagnosed a conventional surgical approach is recommended.