Ultrasound Elastography of fascia of lower leg muscle compartment.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Use of Elasticity Ultrasound of the Lower Leg Anterior Muscle Compartment to Predict Exercise Related Leg Related to Chronic Compartment Syndrome
IRAS ID
200347
Contact name
Dimitri Amiras
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Muscle fibres are invested in an inelastic fascia or lining which does not distort and is inflexible. In conditions such as acute or chronic compartment syndrome the pressure within a muscle compartment is increased as a consequence of an increase in the contents of the compartment; for example a bleeding bone. This can have disastrous consequences as the pressure increases the blood flow to the leg can be reduced and ultimately limb loss can occur. Currently the definitive diagnosis of increased pressure or compartment syndrome is currently made with use of a needle placed within the muscle compartment in question with a pressure transducer connected to the needle to directly measure the pressure within the compartment. We propose that this method can be replaced by use of ultrasound, and in particular ultrasound elastography. We intend to measure the relative strain or 'stiffness' of a specific muscle compartment and its fascia with elasticity ultrasound and thereby infer the pressure within the muscle compartment.
The anterior compartments of the lower leg will be investigated using elasticity ultrasound and correlated with direct compartment pressure measurements as is the gold standard. Both health volunteers and symptomatic patients with chronic compartment will be scanned.Summary of Results
The results were promising with differences in detected between symptomatic and asymptomatic participants as hoped. However the limitations of this study are the small sample size and its non-blinded nature. Further larger randomised-controlled studies would be useful to evaluate this in the future.REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0907
Date of REC Opinion
31 May 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion