Persistent sciatic artery Radiologic features and patient management

The sciatic artery, the embryonic axis artery, arises from the inferior gluteal artery. It may persist as the primary artery of the thigh and continue into the leg as the popliteal artery. The incidence of persistent sciatic artery (PSA) has been estimated as low as 0.025-0.04%.1 Like other vessels; the sciatic artery is subject to vasculopathies affecting the arterial system. Particularly, besides a predisposition to atherosclerosis, aneurysm or distal embolization,2-6 a tendency for aneurysm formation has been described in 14.3-44 % of cases.7 In this report, we present 2 cases of PSA with such vasculopathies, along with the findings of radiological imaging. Case Report. Two patients with different complaints were referred for radiologic evaluation. Patient One. A 44-year-old female presented with mild pain and numbness, which was present for 10 years in her lower extremity. Her physical examination revealed the absence of dorsalis pedis pulse with otherwise, normal findings. Doppler ultrasonograph