Updates in Diagnosis and Management of Forearm Compartment Syndrome

Abstract

In children, compartment syndrome of the forearm often arises from supracondylar fractures, whereas in adults, distal radius fractures are the predominant cause. In 48% of instances, diagnosis was based exclusively on clinical assessment, while in the remaining 52% of cases, a combination of intracompartmental pressure measurement and clinical assessment was used. Several methods, including wick catheters, slit catheters, the Whitesides method, and the Stryker compartment pressure measurement device, were employed to measure intracompartmental pressure. The treatment approach of choice was fasciotomy, with a preference rate of 73%. Out of all the patients that needed wound management, postfasciotomy skin grafting was essential in 61% of them, while secondary closure was done in 39% of cases. The most prevalent consequence, observed in 21% of patients, was neurological impairment.