Cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery in a young woman — a case report

Abstract

Cystic adventitial disease is a rare disease of the blood vessel walls. It occurs most commonly in the popliteal artery and can cause symptoms of chronic or acute ischaemia. We present a case of 38-year-old woman with no significant medical history who developed symptoms of chronic ischaemia of the lower limbs with claudication distance of 100–150 meters in last 5 months. Based of imaging studies, duplex Doppler ultrasound method and magnetic resonance, we diagnosed cystic adventitial disease. The patient was treated surgically by removal of cystic lesions and popliteal artery angioplasty using a patch. After the treatment all the clinical symptoms have subsided. Control ultrasound investigation revealed the normal blood flow within the popliteal artery. The patient was followed-up in our vascular surgery clinic for 12 months without recurrence of symptoms.