1. Non-invasive assessment of muscle compartment elasticity by pressure-related ultrasound in pediatric trauma: a prospective clinical study in 25 cases of forearm shaft fractures
- Author
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R. M. Sellei, A. Beckers, P. Kobbe, A. Weltzien, C. D. Weber, C. K. Spies, N. Reinhardt, M. de la Fuente, K. Radermacher, and F. Hildebrand
- Subjects
Muscle compartment ,Relative elasticity ,Pressure-related ultrasound ,Non-invasive ,Acute compartment syndrome ,Medicine - Abstract
Abstract Background Soft-tissue swelling after limb fractures in pediatric patients is well known to be a risk factor for developing acute compartment syndrome (ACS). Clinical assessment alone is uncertain in specific cases. Recently, we proposed a non-invasive ultrasound-based method to objectify muscle compartment elasticity for monitoring. We hypothesize a strong correlation between the soft-tissue swelling after stabilization of upper limb fractures and the compartment elasticity objectified with a novel ultrasound-based approach in pediatric trauma. Patients and methods In a prospective clinical study, children suffering forearm fractures but not developing an ACS were included. The muscle compartment elasticity of the m. flexor carpi ulnaris was assessed after surgical intervention by a non-invasive, ultrasound-based method resulting in a relative elasticity (RE in %) in both the control (healthy limb) and study group (fractured limb). Soft-tissue swelling was categorized in four different levels (0–3) and correlated with the resulting RE (%). Results The RE in the study group (15.67%, SD ± 3.06) showed a significantly decreased level (p
- Published
- 2023
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