Acute compartment syndrome in tibial plateau fractures--beware!

Abstract

Acute compartment syndrome can complicate fractures of the tibial plateau and must be recognized early so that timely fasciotomy can be performed. The presence of the open fasciotomy wound complicates management of the underlying proximal tibial fracture, which ideally needs early anatomic reconstruction of the articular surface and stable metaphyseal fixation. The purpose of this review is to highlight the importance of this problem, understand treatment strategies, and review outcomes.