Comparison of intracompartment pressure changes in tibial plateau fractures and controlled people: A pilot study

Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a serious medical condition that can be encountered in tibial plateau fractures. However, no studies of compartment pressure changes in patients with tibial plateau fractures compared to patient without fractures have been reported. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the pressure changes in patients with fractures, we monitored and recorded the compartment pressure and attempted to reveal the potential pressure release function of the human fascia.

Cohorts of 43 normal individuals and 23 patients (initial 33, 10 were excluded due to inclusion criteria) and include the number of patients who completed the study with closed tibial fractures (the fracture group, FG, which comprised 6 men and 17 women) were included in this retrospective research. Compartment pressures were measured with Icare, a device that is traditionally used to measure intraocular pressure. Results of measurements at 6 different locations in the lower limb were recorded and compared for three days (days 2, 3, and 4 post fracture) between normal cohort (CG) and fracture cohort (FG) patients.

The compartment pressures were comparable at each pressure measurement site (upper, middle and lower) in patients of the CG and the FG. Compared with the CG patients, there was a significant increase in compartment pressure at the upper lateral location in 18-45-year-old patients in the FG (P = 0.013) and at the upper lateral (P = 0.004) and medial locations (P = 0.005) in 46-69-year-old patients, and the values tended to normalize over time. Compared with the contralateral normal limb of patients in the FG, there was a significant increase in compartment pressure at the upper lateral location in 18-45-year-old patients (P = 0.009) and at the upper lateral (P = 0.015) and medial locations (P = 0.016) in 46-69-year-old patients on the fractured side. Based on different fracture classifications, there were no significant differences in compartment pressure at the medial (upper, middle and lower) locations when compared with pressures at the corresponding lateral sites of measurement.

The results of this study revealed that the fascial compartment as a whole can release the increased intracompartment pressure after fracture to prevent complications such as acute compartment syndrome caused by a continued increase in pressure. The Icare as a portable device, is potentially useful in compartmental pressure measurement especially in emergency room.