Abstract

Compartment syndrome of the foot is an extremely rare complication following ankle open reduction and fixation (ORIF). The first clinical manifestations following compartment syndrome include pain out of proportion and on passive stretch. We present a rare case of compartment syndrome following ankle ORIF using general anesthesia and a sciatic nerve block where the patient’s initial complaint was plantar paraesthesia. Pressure testing revealed increased foot osseo-fascial compartment pressures treated with open fasciotomy. To our knowledge this represents the first reported case of compartment syndrome in the foot requiring fasciotomy after ankle open reduction and internal fixation.

Keywords: Internal Fixation; Anesthesia; Fasciotomy; Tomography