Popliteal artery occlusion secondary to exostosis of the femur

Abstract

Osteochondromas are the most common benign tumors of the bone and are usually asymptomatic. In rare cases, they can present as a cause of lower extremity vascular injury in young patients. We report a case of a 24-year-old man who presented with an acute onset of exercise-induced lower extremity claudication and was found to have a popliteal artery occlusion secondary to a femoral exostosis. The patient underwent an excision of the exostosis and resection of the occluded segment with primary reanastomosis of the popliteal and superficial femoral arteries. Successful treatment of patients with vascular complications secondary to osteochondromas has generally required early surgical intervention.

Keywords: exostosis; occlusion; osteochondroma; popliteal.