Anatomical study of popliteal vein at the central level of patella with multislice spiral CT scanning

Objective: To study the anatomy and variation of popliteal vein at the central level of patella by using multislice spiral CT (MSCT) venography in order to provide imaging anatomy basis for the clinical performance of blind puncturing of popliteal vein. Methods: During the period from September 2010 to March 2015, direct CT venography was performed for 171 legs at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, including 91 left legs and 80 right legs. Ninety-one diseased legs were found in males and 80 diseased legs were found in females. The clinical materials were retrospectively analyzed. The horizontal distance from the midpoint of the popliteal vein to the midpoint of the medial-to-lateral condyle line at the central level of patella (D1), the distance from popliteal vein center to the body surface at the same level (D2), and the inner diameters of popliteal vein (D3 and D4) were measured, and the data thus obtained were statistically analyzed. Meanwhile, the deformity and the number of popliteal vein as well as the relationship of the popliteal vein with the popliteal artery were evaluated. Results: Statistical analysis showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the gender distribution and in the side distribution (P > 0.05). D1 was (10.62 ± 4.64) mm, with the variable coefficient being 0.44; D2 was (25.15 ± 4.37) mm, with the variable coefficient being 0.17; and D3 and D4 were (10.55 ± 2.87) and (10.94 ± 2.68) respectively, with the variable coefficients being 0.27 and 0.24 respectively. Of 171 legs, double popliteal veins was seen in 34 (19.9%), three popliteal veins in one (0.6%), and only one popliteal vein in 136 (79.5%). Among the 171 legs, only in 5 legs the direction of popliteal artery was parallel to the popliteal vein (medial-lateral arrangement), and in 166 legs the popliteal artery was situated anterior to or antero-medial to the popliteal vein. Conclusion: The results of this study provide imaging anatomy basis for the clinical performance of blind puncturing of popliteal vein. (authors)