Experience of treatment of popliteal artery injury in knee arthroplasty

Abstract

Objective To investigate the causes and treatment of popliteal artery injuries in knee arthroplasty. Methods The clinical data of six patients with popliteal artery injuries during knee arthroplasty in Yantaishan Hospital from October 2010 to May 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, five cases were popliteal artery pseudoaneurysm and one was popliteal artery thrombosis. The popliteal artery pseudoaneurysm was treated by local compression, thrombin injection and popliteal artery repair. The popliteal artery thrombosis was treated by catheter-directed thrombolysis. Results One case of popliteal artery thrombosis was restored by catheter-directed thrombolysis. Five cases of popliteal artery pseudoaneurysm relieved from the syndromes after the treatment. One case underwent local compression, one case received local injection of thrombin, and three cases underwent popliteal artery repair. Conclusion The causes of popliteal artery injuries in knee arthroplasty are related to the patient’s basic diseases, vascular conditions and intraoperative operations; the effective treatment can be obtained by selecting appropriate treatment methods according to the popliteal artery injury type. Key words: Arthroplasty, replacement, knee; Popliteal artery; Wounds and injuries; Thrombolytic therapy