Acute compartment syndrome of the anterior compartment of the arm following a traumatic distal biceps rupture with rupture of a high-take off radial artery: A case report

• Published in: Journal of Orthopaedic Reports Vol. 3; no. 3; p. 100299
• Main Authors: Tse, Cheuk Bun, Elliott, Robert Stuart James
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acute compartment syndrome; Anterior arm; Distal biceps rupture; High take-off radial artery; Acute compartment syndrome; High take-off radial artery; Distal biceps rupture; Anterior arm
• ISSN: 2773-157X; 2773-157X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jorep.2023.100299

Acute compartment syndrome of the upper arm is a rare occurrence and is recorded sparsely in the literature. There are a handful documented cases of this occurring in the setting of a distal biceps tendon rupture. A 45-year-old man sustained a distal biceps rupture post low energy fall, and subsequently developed anterior arm compartment syndrome. On imaging, it was found he had a concurrent rupture of a high take-off radial artery (or brachioradial artery) causing a large compressive haematoma. He had an emergent evacuation of haematoma, fasciotomy and ligation of the ruptured artery. After a delayed distal biceps tendon repair, he has made a full recovery at three months follow-up. It is vital to recognise the signs of acute compartment syndrome as a missed event may have devastating consequences. It is imperative not to dismiss such a possibility in the upper arm because of its rare occurrence, and not to be misled by a distracting injury. Early recognition and emergent surgical decompression is the key to successful management.