Compartment syndrome: new insights.

Long recognized as a potential problem in trauma patients or victims of acute extremity ischemia, compartment syndrome is seen in other patient populations as well. In such patients, the absence of timely diagnosis and effective treatment inevitably results in loss of extremity neuromuscular function. New insights into the pathophysiology of compartment syndrome provide opportunities for earlier and more accurate recognition as well as the possibility that the morbid consequences of the syndrome might be mitigated or in certain settings even prevented.