Noninvasive Diagnosis of Compartment Syndrome

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Inaccuracy in the current methods of compartment syndrome diagnosis often leads to delays in treatment. Missed diagnosis of compartment syndrome to be one of the most common causes of litigation against doctors in North America, with the average malpractice award from a missed compartment syndrome case approximately $280,000 in 1993. In the absence of good diagnostic tools for compartment syndrome, anecdotal evidence suggests that the fasciotomy, a surgical opening of the muscle fascia to release compartment pressures is often performed prophylactically, subjecting the patient to a long and expensive recovery that might otherwise be avoided. The aim of this Phase I SBIR is to investigate whether the enhanced capabilities of Luna's Quantitative Ultrasound System (QUS) will result in improved correlation between an ultrasound-derived pressure factor and slit-catheter measurements of intramuscular pressure (IMP), the current gold standard measurement for diagnosing compartment syndrome. As part of this overall objective, we propose a series of modifications to Luna's QUS leading to a 1-month, 10-patient study at the UCSD Department of Orthopaedics in which IMP in the four compartments of the lower leg is temporarily raised through well-established models.