chennai city news – Chennaionline

SIMS Hospital has treated an extremely rare vascular complication in a 48-year-old patient, where an abnormal bony growth in the leg led to an artery swelling and sudden blockage of blood flow, causing severe pain and restricting the patient’s ability to walk. The multidisciplinary team at the hospital made a timely diagnosis and carried out a complex surgery to remove the bony growth, repair the damaged artery, and restore blood flow, successfully preventing a possible leg amputation. The patient has since recovered and is back on his feet. Doctors diagnosed the patient with a popliteal artery aneurysm, a balloon-like swelling in the artery with blood clots, caused by the bony growth (femur exostosis), which originated from the thigh bone and pressed against the main artery behind the knee. This rare combination, which led to sudden blockage of blood flow to the leg (acute limb ischemia), has so far been reported in fewer than 60 cases worldwide, with only a handful of cases in India. The patient underwent a complex surgery that involved removing the femur exostosis, ligating the affected popliteal artery, and performing a bypass from the popliteal to the posterior tibial artery using a reverse saphenous vein graft. The procedure was carried out by a multi-disciplinary team, with Dr. Sairam Subramanian, Consultant Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon, leading the vascular bypass, and Dr. Kalaivanan Kanniyan, Senior Consultant Orthopaedic and Arthroplasty Surgeon, handling the femur exostosis excision, supported by a senior anesthetic team. In his comments, Dr Sairam Subramanian, said, “The 48-year-old patient developed sudden pain in his right leg below the knee, preventing him from walking more than 100 metres. A CT scan revealed a bony growth from the lower thigh bone causing constant irritation and a balloon-like swelling in the main artery behind the knee, with clots blocking blood flow. We performed a complex surgery to remove the growth, correct the arterial defect, and bypass the artery using the patient’s own saphenous vein, ensuring long-term graft durability. Thanks to the combined expertise of our vascular, orthopedic, anesthetic, and cardiology teams, we were able to save his leg and restore normal circulation. Post-operatively, he can now walk normally.” He added that osteochondroma, or femur exostosis, is relatively common and occurs in about 3% of the population. However, vascular complications such as aneurysm or embolisation caused by exostosis are extremely rare. Worldwide, fewer than 60 such cases have been reported, and only a very small number have been documented in India.