Acute volar compartment syndrome of the forearm secondary to fractures of the distal radius

Compartment Syndrome of the Forearm: A Systematic Review

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Patients ranged in age from newborn to 67 years. Of the 35 patients whose gender was reported, 27 were male and 8 were female (Table 1).…”

“…The most common cause of compartment syndrome in adults was a fracture of the distal radius, whereas in children the most common cause was a supracondylar fracture of the humerus (Table 3). 6,14,16 Peters and Scott 12 reported 3 cases of compartment syndrome due to radial head or neck fracture in children. Iatrogenic causes included osteotomies of the radius and/or ulna.…”

“…6 -9,11-16 Overall, in 45 patients, a compartment release was done using a volar incision, in 1 patient with a dorsal incision, and in 11 both volar and dorsal compartment releases were performed. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In 4 patients either the fasciotomy was not discussed or the patients had another procedure. 5,8 A carpal tunnel release was performed at the time of volar compartment decompression in 30 cases.…”

“…7,8,[11][12][13][14]16 In 13 patients the wound was managed by secondary closure, and 20 patients required skin grafting. 7,8,[11][12][13][14]16 COMPLICATIONS Seven articles described complications in 18 of 43 extremities, for those 7 studies (Table 8). [5][6][7][8][9]11,16 Various contractures were reported in 4 cases and neurological deficits in 9.…”

“…6,8,[11][12][13]16 A total of 61 of the 84 patients were treated surgically. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Of the 59 patients treated with fasciotomy, 57 incisions were described, and the modified anterior approach of Henry was most commonly used. 6 -9,11-16 Overall, in 45 patients, a compartment release was done using a volar incision, in 1 patient with a dorsal incision, and in 11 both volar and dorsal compartment releases were performed.…”