Acute compartment syndrome occurring in forearm with relatively small amount of hematoma following transradial coronary intervention.

A 59-year-old female with angina pectoris successfully underwent percutaneous coronary intervention via the right radial artery. She complained of right forearm pain and numbness 4.5 h after the procedure. Though the swelling in her right arm seemed relatively mild, pressure measurement showed significant increase of internal forearm pressure. She developed acute compartment syndrome in the right forearm, and fasciotomy was performed immediately. The weight of subcutaneous hematoma in her right arm was approximately 100 g. Symptoms of paralysis and the impairment of perception remained for some time, but had completely recovered 4 months post-surgery.