Angiographic study of the tibioperoneal trunks in patients with aorto-iliac occlusive disease

Knowledge of the normal anatomic characterization of the popliteal artery and its branches is essential as a guide in vascular surgery below the knee. Using radiologic, digital and statistical methods tibioperoneal trunks were studied on 76 preoperative arteriograms, visualizing bilateral configurations of the popliteal artery division, from 46 men and 30 women, with aorto-iliac occlusive disease. The aim of this study has been to evaluate tibioperoneal trunks as to typological (types, frequency of existence, gender and syntopic dimorphisms) and angiometric (length, internal diameter and capacity) aspects. The statistical analysis of tibioperoneal trunks (types, angiometric parameters) did not reveal any gender or syntopic dimorphisms (p⩾0.05). In both the posterior tibioperoneal trunk (89.47%) or the anterior tibioperoneal trunk (7.89%) short and long ones were found. High correlation coefficients of the symmetry of the left and right vascular patterns were observed (r=0.80-0.83). In 2.64% of cases tibioperoneal trunks were absent. Two types of posterior tibioperoneal trunk were longer (p⩽0.01) but they were thinner (p⩽0.05) than similarly named types of anterior tibioperoneal trunk. In anterior and posterior tibioperoneal trunks of the short type the diameter of the vessel was statistically larger (p⩽0.05) than in its long type. The largest capacity was found in the long type and the smallest in the short type of anterior tibioperoneal trunk (p⩽0.01). These findings have implications in vascular grafting below the knee.