Anatomical dissection reveals a rare popliteal artery branching variation in a 92-year-old female cadaver, highlighting the need to prevent complications during knee surgeries.
The popliteal artery is a continuation of the femoral artery and is the main arterial supply to the lower leg and foot. Variation in the branching of the popliteal artery typically occurs proximal or distal to where the vessel crosses the popliteus muscle. In the case of a routine dissection of a 92-year-old female cadaver, a variation of the popliteal artery was found where the branches are a posterior tibial artery and a common tibiofibular trunk. It is important to recognize the vascular variations that exist in the popliteal fossa to prevent any unforeseen complications during surgeries or procedures to the knee or lower leg.
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Sachsenmeier et al. (2024) studied this question.
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