Popliteal venous aneurysms. Report of a case and review of the literature.

Venous aneurysms are uncommon in the vascular pathology of the lower limb. They are more commonly encountered in the neck, thoracic veins and visceral veins. Involvement of the popliteal veins is not often encountered. These aneurysms often cause thrombosis and subsequently pulmonary embolism. Phlebography and duplex scanning give the most accurate diagnosis. As the risk of associated pulmonary embolism is high, elective surgery is recommended since it has been proven that proper anticoagulation treatment does not prevent the risk of pulmonary embolism.