Tibial plateau fracture with compartment syndrome: a complication of higher incidence in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Compartment syndrome after tibial plateau fracture has been described, solely as case reports in previously published articles, as a relatively rare complication. METHODS: A retrospective review of 106 patients with 107 tibial plateau fractures was undertaken from January 1996 to June 1997 at a level I trauma center, and the incidence of compartment syndrome was 10.3%. The diagnosis was based on characteristic clinical symptoms and signs of acute compartment syndrome and/or by measurement of intracompartment pressures. The treatment included fasciotomy of the 4 compartments. RESULTS: There was a high correlation between the incidence of compartment syndrome and the fracture pattern as well as the mechanism of trauma. Higher-energy traumas (Schatzker's type IV, V, and VI) were associated with a higher incidence of compartment syndrome (30.4% in type VI). CONCLUSION: The incidence of compartment syndrome after tibial plateau fracture is more common than what has been reported in the literature, especially after high-energy trauma.