Selective Fasciotomy for Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome Detected With Exercise Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome that is refractory to conservative management should be treated with surgical fasciotomy. However, owing to the limitations of intracompartmental needle manometry in reaching a definite diagnosis, the appropriate timing for fasciotomy and on which compartment remain unclear. The authors report the case of a 22-year-old male military cadet who reported pain in his left calf when running or walking for long distances. The pain was located at the lateral aspect of the calf, from the mid-calf level to the ankle. At another hospital, nonenhanced magnetic resonance imaging had been performed, which showed no considerable abnormality. The authors used exercise magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose chronic exertional compartment syndrome. They performed selective fasciotomy on the compartment that showed a high signal intensity. As a military cadet, the patient was required to jog for more than an hour per day and perform strenuous muscle exercises. He reported that he did not have calf pain or discomfort during such activities 13 months postoperatively. The authors obtained a follow-up exercise magnetic resonance image. Compared with the preoperative magnetic resonance image, the follow-up exercise magnetic resonance image did not show high signal intensity at the lateral compartment. Exercise magnetic resonance imaging is useful in confirming the diagnosis of chronic exertional compartment syndrome and enables the performance of selective fasciotomy on the affected compartment. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(6):e1099-e1102.].