To measure the limbs′hardness for the diagnosis of compartment syndrome

Objective: To measure the limbs′hardness for the invasive diagnosis of compartment syndrome.Methods: Six adult dogs were subjected to an infusion of 706 hetastarch into the anterolateral muscle compartment of the left handlimb to create an elevation in compartment pressure Then the limbs′hardness and intracompartmental pressure were measured.Results: It was founded that When the intracompartmental pressure was raised, the limb′s hardness rose The correlation coefficient found between the intracompartmental pressure measurements and the quantitative hardness measurements was 0.967.Conclusion: The determination of surface hardness of the limbs, which appears accurate and reproducible, offers the advantages of being noninvasive and well suited for longer term assessments of the intracompartmental interstitial pressure