Case: A 40-year-old man underwent a comprehensive arthroscopic management procedure to address right glenohumeral arthritis. He presented on postoperative day 1 with severe thoracolumbar back pain and paresthesias overlying the left paraspinal muscles. He had elevated creatinine kinase levels, and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated significant paraspinal edema. Intracompartmental pressures confirmed paraspinal compartment syndrome, and a compartment release was performed, resolving the patient's pain and paresthesias. Conclusions: Acute paraspinal compartment syndrome following extremity orthopaedic surgery is unreported in the literature. This case describes the diagnosis and management of this condition and highlights paraspinal compartment syndrome as a potential postoperative complication.
Bouterse et al. (Thu,) studied this question.