Radiology, Vol 195, 176-180, Copyright © 1995 by Radiological Society of North America
Asymptomatic functional popliteal artery entrapment: demonstration at MR imaging
DM Chernoff, AT Walker, R Khorasani, JF Polak and FA Jolesz
Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.
PURPOSE: To determine if functional popliteal entrapment can occur in
healthy subjects and to define the mechanism of vascular compression.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The right lower extremities were examined in 13
subjects (nine men 27-34 years of age, mean age 31 years; four women 29- 44
years of age, mean age 34 years) with no symptoms of popliteal artery
entrapment. Magnetic resonance (MR) and Doppler ultrasound images were
obtained while the subjects were at rest and while they performed plantar
flexion against resistance. RESULTS: Blood flow during plantar flexion
ceased in nine of 13 subjects (69%) and was impaired in three of 13 (23%).
MR images showed muscular compression of the popliteal artery at two
levels: between the plantaris muscle and the medial head of the
gastrocnemius muscle and between the plantaris and popliteus muscles.
CONCLUSION: Functional impairment of popliteal arterial flow during plantar
flexion occurs in subjects who have no symptoms of popliteal entrapment
syndrome.
