Popliteal artery injury following traumatic knee joint dislocation in a 14-year-old boy: A case report and rewiev of the literature

Slobodan Cvetković; Nenad Jakoviljević; Dušica Simić; Miloš Sladojević; Ljubomir Djurašić; Lazar Davidović

doi:10.2298/2664

Slobodan Cvetković Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; Clinic for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery,Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
Nenad Jakoviljević Clinic for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery,Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
Dušica Simić Clinic for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery,Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia; University Children Hospital Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Miloš Sladojević Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Ljubomir Djurašić Clinic for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
Lazar Davidović Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; Clinic for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery,Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/2664

Keywords: knee injuries, popliteal artery, blood vessels, wounds and injuries, child, vascular surgical procedures, transplants, recovery of function,

Abstract

Introduction. Posterior knee joint dislocation associated with injury of the popliteal artery in children is an extremely rare condition. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are essential for limb salvage and function. Case report. We reported a 14-year-old boy who suffered traumatic displacement of the right knee and contusion of the popliteal artery during motorcycle accident. The diagnosis was confirmed using Doppler and duplex ultrasonography and digital substraction transfemoral arteriography. The urgent surgical procedure was performed using posterior approach to the popliteal artery. During the surgical exploration, rupture of the posterior cruciate ligament associated with thrombosed popliteal artery have been found. The damaged popliteal artery was resected and replaced with autologous saphenous vein graft. The last stage of the procedure was a transosseous femoral fixation of posterior circuate ligament. A 3-year-follow-up after the surgery demonstrated intact arterial perfusion and very good function of the knee with a minimal difference as compared with the contralateral knee. Conclusion. Combined orthopedic and vascular injuries are very rare in children. They require combined treatment.

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