Acute compartment syndrome of the thigh is a rare clinical entity often caused by high-energy trauma and presenting with a spectrum of associated injuries. Service members in combat are at risk for these causative mechanisms. This study presents a large cohort of thigh compartment syndrome combat casualties and investigates the injury mechanisms, associated mortality, and complications related ...

BACKGROUND Cell-free DNA concentrations increase in the circulation of patients after trauma and may have prognostic potential, but little is know concerning the temporal changes or clearance of the DNA or its relationships with posttraumatic complications. We investigated temporal changes in plasma DNA concentrations in patients after trauma with use of real-time quantitative PCR. METHODS Se...

The syndrome can progress to paraplegia with rectal and urinary incontinence and represents a surgical emergency.1 Sixty percent of patients are male with a mean age of 42 years, and 82% have a history of chronic low-back pain. In two-thirds of patients, the syndrome is associated with trauma or injury.2 However, cauda equina syndrome should be considered in patients whose chronic back pain has...

A compartment syndrome is an orthopaedic emergency which can result from a variety of causes, the most common being trauma. Rarely, it can develop spontaneously and several aetiologies for spontaneous compartment syndrome have been described. We describe a patient with diabetes who developed a spontaneous compartment syndrome. The diagnosis was delayed because of the atypical presentation.

Postoperative epidural fibrosis (EF) is still a major limitation to the success of spine surgery. Fibrotic adhesions in space, initiated via local trauma and inflammation, can induce difficult-to-treat pain constitute main cause failed back surgery syndrome, which not uncommonly requires operative revision.

Acute compartment syndrome in athletes, although rare, is a limb threatening condition which warrants emergency treatment. The case of a footballer with acute compartment syndrome of the left lower leg, without any preceding direct trauma to the calf, is reported. To our knowledge this is the only description of acute atraumatic compartment syndrome secondary to rupture of one of the heads of g...