Foot compartment syndrome treatment: a systematic review

To compare the treatment approaches for foot compartment syndrome (FCS) and evaluate their outcomes.

A systematic review was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Mayo journals via OVID Databases, Web of Science, and Scopus from each database's inception to December 2024. Two reviewers, independently working in duplicate, assessed each manuscript's title, abstract, and full text for eligibility. Study characteristics, quality of evidence, and outcomes were obtained and analyzed.

A total of 45 articles were included in the qualitative analysis, 38 case reports, and seven  cohort studies. Among the case reports, only two patients underwent conservative management, while all remaining cases, as well as all cohort studies, reported fasciotomy as the primary treatment. Trauma was the most frequently identified cause of FCS, and the diagnostic criterion commonly used was an intracompartmental pressure exceeding 30 mmHg. There was no consensus on the number or anatomical location of incisions. Due to the heterogeneity of the data, a meta-analysis could not be performed to assess the risk associated with different incision approaches.

Fasciotomy remains the standard treatment for FCS. However, there is insufficient evidence to determine the optimal number and location of surgical incisions. While existing data suggest that using two or more incisions may be associated with fewer long-term sequelae, further research is needed to establish specificity of compartment decompression to enhance treatment recommendations.