Endovascular Repair of a Traumatic Popliteal Artery Injury

In patients who sustain a traumatic arterial injury to the lower extremities, timely intervention is key for limb salvage. Traditionally, patients with a popliteal injury have undergone an open surgical bypass but, in recent years, endovascular repair has become more frequent. We present the case of a 46-year-old male who sustained a right tibial/fibular fracture and an associated popliteal artery injury during a pedestrian versus car accident. At presentation, distal signals were not detectable on duplex ultrasonography, and computed tomography confirmed an occlusion of the P3 popliteal artery and proximal anterior tibial and tibioperoneal trunk, as well as a comminuted tibia and fibula fracture. He also had a subdural hematoma without midline shift. He was taken to the operating room emergently and, following external fixation of the tibial/fibular fracture, he underwent angiography of the right leg. There was no thrombus or extravasation but a static column of blood secondary to a flow-limiting intimal flap was present, and an endovascular repair of the popliteal artery with balloon angioplasty and Tack stents (Intact Vascular, Wayne, PA) was pursued. Heparin was not utilized due to the patient's intracranial hemorrhage. On hospital day four, he underwent internal fixation of the tibial/fibular fracture. The subarachnoid/subdural hematoma remained stable and a prophylactic dose of rivaroxaban and aspirin was started. The patient recovered well from these procedures and was discharged 16 days after the accident.