Anterior tibial-compartment syndrome complicating fractures of the shaft of the tibia

Abstract

Twenty-five cases of anterior tibial-compartment syndrome in twenty-four patients were seen as complications of fractures of the shaft of the tibia. Six patients had fasciotomy within the first six hours of the onset of their symptoms and signs and all made an uneventful recovery. Eighteen patients, in whom treatment was withheld for an average of eighteen hours, were left with a variety of complications including persistent weakness of dorsiflexion in fourteen, a complete footdrop in three, and the necessity for a below-the-knee amputation in one.