Popliteal Aneurysms are Common Among Men With Screening Detected Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, and Prevalence Correlates With the Diameters of the Common Iliac Arteries

Anne Cervin; Anders Wanhainen; Martin Björck

doi:10.1016/j.ejvs.2019.07.042

Popliteal Aneurysms are Common Among Men With Screening Detected Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, and Prevalence Correlates With the Diameters of the Common Iliac Arteries

Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2020 Jan;59(1):67-72. doi: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2019.07.042. Epub 2019 Nov 19.

Authors

Anne Cervin¹, Anders Wanhainen², Martin Björck²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgical Sciences, Section of Vascular Surgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Hybrid and Interventional Surgery, Unit of Vascular Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: anne.cervin@vgregion.se.
² Department of Surgical Sciences, Section of Vascular Surgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

PMID: 31757587
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2019.07.042

Abstract

Background: Data on the prevalence of popliteal artery aneurysm (PA) are scarce and difficult to interpret as the definition differs among papers. The aim was to investigate the prevalence among men with screening detected abdominal aortic aneurysms (≥30 mm, AAAs) and subaneurysmal aortic dilatation (25-29 mm, SAA), and to explore whether the existence of a PA correlated with the diameters of the aorta, iliac, and femoral arteries.

Methods: In Uppsala, Sweden, a county with 376 000 inhabitants, AAA screening of 65 year old men was initiated in 2006. All men with AAA and SAA also had measurements of the common iliac artery (CIA). The common femoral (CFA), superficial femoral (SFA), and popliteal arteries were evaluated at re-examination, performed after 1-2 years for AAA and five years for SAA. PA was defined as ≥ 12 mm, or 1.5 times larger than the distal SFA according to the ISCVS/SVS Ad Hoc Committee. The relationships between PA and other vessel diameters were explored.

Results: A total of 19 820 65 year old men (84.6%) accepted the invitation to screening between 2006 and 2017. AAA was found in 173 (0.9%), and SAA in 149 subjects (1.1% of those screened 2006-2013, eligible for this study). In the whole cohort, 14.2% of those examined had at least one PA of any size, 3.0% were ≥15 mm and 2.2% ≥ 20 mm. There was no difference in PA prevalence between AAA and SAA: 15.9% vs. 12.2% (p = .48). There was no difference in aortic diameter in those with or without PA (p = .46), but there were significant correlations with CIA (p < .001), CFA (p < .001), and SFA (p < .001) diameters.

Conclusions: A high prevalence of PA among subjects with screening detected AAA and SAA was found. PA was not correlated with the aortic diameter in this cohort, where all had dilated aortas, while correlations with peripheral and iliac artery diameters were identified.

Keywords: Abdominal aortic aneurysm; Iliac artery; Popliteal artery aneurysm; Prevalence; Screening.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Aorta, Abdominal / diagnostic imaging
Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / diagnostic imaging
Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / epidemiology*
Femoral Artery / diagnostic imaging
Humans
Iliac Artery / diagnostic imaging*
Male
Mass Screening / statistics & numerical data*
Organ Size
Popliteal Artery / diagnostic imaging
Popliteal Artery / pathology*
Prevalence
Sweden / epidemiology