Volkmann's ischaemia in the lower limb.

Although the ischaemic contracture that Volkmann described immediately suggests the familiar deformity of the forearm and hand, the first case he reported, in 1872, was of a contracture in the leg. The purpose of this paper is to review the features of fifteen cases of ischaemia in the leg following injuries or operations (the anterior tibial syndrome is excluded) that have come under the care of my colleagues and myself and to consider how important this complication may be and what might be done to prevent it. The treatment of the established condition will be discussed briefly.