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Epidemiology

In the general population, popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) has an estimated prevalence of 0.16%. It is most commonly found in young, physically active males. If fact, sixty percent of all cases of this syndrome occur in athletically active males under the age of 30. The predilection of this syndrome presents in a male to female ratio of 15:1. This discrepancy in prevalence may be partially attributed to the findings that males are generally found to be more physically active than females or because a large portion of the data accumulated for PAES is from military hospitals that treat mostly male populations. The prevalence of PAES varies through different populations; it increases in those who participate in running, soccer, football, or rugby. During embryonic development, the medial head of gastrocnemius migrates medially and superiorly. This migration can cause structural abnormalities, such as irregular positioning of the popliteal artery, and can account for the rare instances of entrapment caused by the popliteus muscle. Less than 3% of all people are born with this anatomical defect that progresses into PAES, and of those who are born with the anatomical defect, the majority never develop symptoms. Bilateral presentation of PAES is found in approximately 25% of cases.