Open and endovascular repair of popliteal artery aneurysms: tabular review of the literature.

Popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) have been referred to as "the silent killer" because of the devastating thromboembolic events they can cause without warning symptoms. Open surgical repair of PAA remains the gold standard, although the endovascular approach has being increasingly reported during the past years. Open repair can be performed over the medial or posterior approach, depending on the extent of the aneurysm and surgeon's preference. The goal of the present article is to summarize the clinical results of open and endovascular repair of PAA and to serve as a practical and prompt literature search tool for all surgeons and endovascular specialists who encounter this disease process in their practices.