Acute promyelocytic leukemia complicated by osteofascial compartment syndrome.

BACKGROUND

Osteofascial compartment syndrome (OCS) refers to a series of clinical syndromes caused by acute ischemia and hypoxia of the tissues inside a fascial compartment. OCS secondary to acute leukemia is extremely rare. Coagulopathy is a common phenomenon in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), which often leads to various bleeding complications.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report the first case of APL complicated by OCS. The elderly female experienced differentiation syndrome, left forearm OCS, and rhabdomyolysis during the induction treatment. The coagulopathy ultimately resulted in a fatal cerebral hemorrhage.

CONCLUSION

Compared to the more commonly reported OCS associated with chronic leukemias, OCS secondary to APL is particularly perilous.