Lower Extremity Compartment Syndrome eMedicine Orthopedics

Description: Wallace, Goodman & Smith2007
As many as 45% of all cases of CS are caused by tibial fractures. Other causes include any long-bone fracture, vascular injury, compression in the setting of a crush injury, drug overdose, and a tight cast or dressing. Late manifestations of CS include the absence of a distal pulse, extremity paresis, and hypoesthesia. If CS is strongly suspected in the clinical examination, operative decompression is the mainstay of therapy. Compartment-pressure measurements are usually reserved for diagnosing chronic CS, for evaluating comatose patients, or for other conditions in which the clinical examination findings are equivocal. Although rhabdomyolysis and subsequent renal failure are among the most severe life-threatening complications, Volkmann contractures are the more commonly observed limb deformities. This article discusses the current understanding of CS of the lower extremity.
Synonyms and related keywords: CS, chronic CS, chronic exertional CS, exertional CS, recurrent CS, subacute CS, Volkmann ischemia, chronic exertional compartment syndrome, exertional rhabdomyolysis, recurrent compartment syndrome, subacute compartment syndrome, fasciotomy, compartment release