The most common area of regional metastasis of melanoma of the lower extremity is the inguinal-femoral region. Cases of metastatic lesions of the popliteal lymph nodes are extremely rare. This area of ​​metastasis is poorly studied, and the surgical technique of popliteal lymph node dissection and indications for it are not actually described in surgical atlases and current clinical guidelines. The principles of surgical treatment for metastasis to the popliteal lymph nodes should be similar to classical approaches and involve performing popliteal lymph node dissection with removal of fat tissue and lymph nodes along the neurovascular bundle. We presented three clinical cases of patients with metastatic lesions of the popliteal lymph nodes with a description of the technical features of performing popliteal lymph node dissection.

Andrey Nibozhin completed my MD at the age of 26 years from "Novosibirsk State Medical University" of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Novosibirsk, Russia. I am currently working as an oncologist in the department of thoracic oncology and skin tumors.