Popliteal entrapment is a condition which typically affects young athletes. The symptoms generally result in calf pain (claudication) during significant exercise. Typically it is caused by the artery behind the knee lying in an abnormal position, the muscle in the upper calf/knee region attaching to the knee in an abnormal position or a combination of the two.
The popliteal artery entrapment ultrasound scan involves a complete arterial scan with the patient lying down from the groin to the ankle to confirm normal arterial flow. Next the patient will be standing so that the popliteal artery and vein can be assessed using b-mode, colour and pulse wave doppler firstly in a normal standing position and then with maximal heel raise. This heel raise (plantar flexion of the foot) is often repeated multiple times in order to fully investigate the entire popliteal artery region. The popliteal vein is also assessed in the same way during heel raises.
Arrive 5 minutes before your appointment time to allow any paperwork to be completed. Please use the toilet in this time prior to your scan. Once you have been called into the ultrasound room you will need to remove your trousers/skirt so that we can access the skin between your groin and ankle. You should leave your underwear on. You will first of all need to lie down on your back so tha t the leg arteries can be checked to confirm normal anatomy. The gel will be cold and the ultrasound probe will be pressed gently from the groin to the ankle. Next you will then be asked to stand on a step facing away from the sonographer using the couch to lean against. The sonographer will ask you to peform heel raises. This requires you to raise you heel as high as possible and try to remain still. You will need to peform this task multiple times throughout the scan.The scan usually takes 20-30 minutes per leg.
The sonographer will check through the images and produce a worksheet with the relevant information which is then rechecked by the vascular surgeon. If you are seeing one of our specialists on the same day as the scan then they will be able to give the result immediately. Otherwise your report will be sent back to the referrer within a day or two. You can contact the referer to arrange a time to discuss the results. If the sonographer identifies any urgent problems then they will discuss it with our vascular specialists and your referrer immediately and let you know if you need to do anything further.
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