RESEARCH ARTICLE
Compartment Syndrome Following Lower Limb Arthroplasty: A Review
Nikolaos G Lasanianos1, Nikolaos K Kanakaris1, Craig S Roberts2, Peter V Giannoudis*, 1
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2011Volume: 5
First Page: 181
Last Page: 192
Publisher ID: TOORTHJ-5-181
DOI: 10.2174/1874325001105010181
Article History:
Received Date: 1/3/2011Revision Received Date: 1/4/2011
Acceptance Date: 12/4/2011
Electronic publication date: 18/5/2011
Collection year: 2011

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Compartment syndrome is an urgent clinical entity characterised by an increase in the interstitial pressure within a closed osseofascial compartment. Although well recognised as a potential complication after orthopaedic trauma, it is very rarely presented after elective orthopaedic surgery and especially joint arthroplasty. In these rare cases a number of variables are associated with it (positioning, coagulopathy, extensive soft tissue dissection, previous scarring, and epidural analgesia). In this study we present the current evidence with regard to incidence and causation of compartment syndrome after lower limb joint arthroplasty and make recommendations on how to avoid the development of this devastating complication.