Third head of gastrocnemius

Case contributed by Mostafa Elfeky
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Right knee pain.

Patient Data

Age: 40 years
Gender: Female

Both knee joints

x-ray

Unremarkable both knee joints radiograph.

Right knee joint

mri

Mild knee joint effusion.

Incidentally noted, accessory third head gastrocnemius muscle.

Case Discussion

Accessory third head gastrocnemius muscle, could be responsible for patient's symptoms as it may compress popliteal artery causing claudication, and so the possibility of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) should be clinically assessed.

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