Predictors of Improvement in Patient Outcomes after Fasciotomy for Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome of the Lower Leg

Abstract

Category: Sports; Other Introduction/Purpose: Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) of the lower leg is the result of increased pressure in intramuscular compartments that occurs during repetitive physical activity. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of lower extremity fasciotomies in treating CECS. However, not all patients have the same level of symptom improvement or ability to return to sport. The purpose of this study was to determine if any independent patient variables were predictive of outcomes following fasciotomy for CECS of the lower leg. Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing fasciotomy of the lower leg for treatment of CECS by a single fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon from 2009 to 2017 was performed. All patients had a diagnosis confirmed by pre- and post-exercise compartment pressure testing using the Pedowitz criteria. Patients that underwent a fasciotomy for trauma, infection, or an acute pathologic process or underwent revision fasciotomy were excluded. Preoperative measures of Foot and Ankle Ability Measure-Sport subscale (FAAM-Sport), FAAM-Sport single assessment numeric evaluation (SANE), and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain during sporting activities were collected. Patients with at least 12 months of follow-up were included. The primary outcomes of change (delta, Δ) in FAAM-Sport, FAAM-Sport SANE, and VAS during sporting activities were calculated. To determine significant predictors of outcomes, a generalized multivariate linear regression model developed based on univariate analysis and clinical experience was used. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: In total, 61 patients underwent 65 procedures, with outcome measures obtained on average 57.9 (range, 12-115) months postoperatively. Median age was 22, median BMI was 24.4, and 59.0% of the cohort was female. Of the 65 fasciotomies, 39 (60.0%) were simultaneous bilateral, 6 procedures (9.2%) performed on 3 patients were staged bilateral, and 18 (27.7%) were unilateral. There were 16 four-compartment fasciotomies performed (24.6%), while 49 (75.4%) involved 2 compartments. Twenty- two procedures involved deep posterior compartment pressures meeting the Pedowitz criteria. Patients had mean (+- standard deviation) improvement in FAAM-Sport of 40.4 +- 22.3 points (p<0.001), improvement in FAAM-Sport SANE of 57.3 +- 31.6 (p<0.001), and reduction of VAS pain of 56.4 +- 31.8 (p<0.001). Multivariate linear regression results are listed in Table 1. Conclusion:: Fasciotomy is an effective treatment of CECS, with our study identifying certain patient variables leading to greater improvement. Independent predictors of improvement of FAAM-Sport SANE following surgery included younger age, history of depression, and male sex. A history of depression was an independent predictor of greater VAS pain reduction following fasciotomy. Patients with deep posterior compartment pressure testing meeting the Pedowitz criteria was an independent predictor of increased improvement in FAAM-Sport. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate and identify independent patient variables predictive of greater functional improvement following fasciotomy for CECS.