Rare case of a pseudoaneurysm of the popliteal artery from a femur osteochondroma

Abstract

Osteochondromas represent the most common benign bone tumor, occurring in 1–2% of the general population. While most are asymptomatic, some can present with vascular complications including aneurysm formation, arterial insufficiency, fistulization and deep venous thrombosis due to the proximity of arterial and venous structures. Few case reports describe osteochondromas resulting in pseudoaneurysm formation in adolescents, and given the heterogeneity of vascular involvement, there is no consensus on optimal strategy for repair. We describe the case of a 14-year-old boy who was diagnosed with an above-knee popliteal pseudoaneurysm secondary to a distal femur osteochondroma. This was treated with excision of the pseudoaneurysm, bovine pericardial patch angioplasty repair of the above-knee popliteal artery, and resection of the osteochondroma.

Keywords

• Osteochondroma
• Pseudoaneurysm
• Bovine pericardial patch