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open access eISSN 2093-3673

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Case Report

Anat Cell Biol 2023; 56(4): 566-569

Published online December 31, 2023

https://doi.org/10.5115/acb.23.035

Copyright © Korean Association of ANATOMISTS.

Fenestrated popliteal vein pierced by a branch of the tibial nerve

Edward C. Muo1 , Joe Iwanaga2,3,4,5 , Juan J. Cardona2 , Łukasz Olewnik6 , Aaron S. Dumont2 , R. Shane Tubbs2,3,5,7,8,9,10

1Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 2Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 3Department of Neurology, Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA, 4Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Anatomy, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan, 5Department of Structural & Cellular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA, 6Department of Anatomical Dissection and Donation, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland, 7Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George’s University, St. George’s, Grenada, 8Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, 9Department of Neurosurgery and Ochsner Neuroscience Institute, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA, USA, 10University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Correspondence to:Juan J. Cardona
Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
E-mail: jcardona2@tulane.edu

Received: February 2, 2023; Revised: May 27, 2023; Accepted: June 5, 2023

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Knowledge of anatomical variations is important so as to avoid potential iatrogenic injury or misdiagnosis on imaging. Here we report an unusual finding and relationship between the tibial nerve and popliteal vein. During the routine dissection of an adult cadaver, it was noted that a branch of the tibial nerve in the popliteal fossa pierced the most distal part of the popliteal vein. This unusual finding is described and relevant reports in the literature discussed. Our hopes are that such a report might help surgeons avoid injury to such a fenestrated popliteal vein and the tibial nerve branch traveling through it therefore decreasing patient morbidity.

Keywords: Anatomy, Cadaver, Anatomical variations, Venous fenestration, Case report

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