Primary Medial Gastrocnemius Vein Aneurysm With Thrombosis

Abstract

A venous aneurysm (VA) in a calf muscle is extremely rare. In this case study, a primary medial gastrocnemius vein aneurysm (MGVA) with thrombosis is reported. A female patient presented with left medial knee pain for 2 weeks. Radiograph demonstrated severe osteoarthritis of the medial compartment of the left knee. Sonography of the knee incidentally detected a focal saccular dilation in one of the gastrocnemius veins, within the medial head of the gastrocnemius (MHG). The diameter of the dilation was almost three times its connected normal vein. Two-thirds of the saccular dilation was occupied by hyperechoic content. Duplex sonography confirmed that the dilation was a saccular MGVA with thrombosis. The patient had no history of knee trauma, surgery, or inflammation. A small Baker’s cyst, medial to the MHG, was also excluded from the cause of the MGVA. These suggest that this MGVA was of a primary cause. The complications of a MGVA are briefly discussed as part of this case study.