To perform or not to perform fasciotomy? A rare case report
Ahmet Y. Sarıaslan1
, Murat Kahraman1, Tuba Y. Uçarkuş1, Kaan Gürbüz1
1Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Kayseri City Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Türkiye
2Department of Radiology, Kayseri City Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Türkiye
Keywords: Communicable diseases, emerging, fasciotomy, subcutaneous emphysema.
Abstract
Subcutaneous emphysema, caused by the presence of air or gas in subcutaneous tissues, can be infectious or noninfectious. A thorough clinical evaluation, including both physical examination and radiological imaging, is required to distinguish benign subcutaneous emphysema from necrotizing soft tissue infections. In this article, we report a 12-year-old female patient with benign subcutaneous emphysema of the upper extremity and highlight the importance of an accurate diagnosis to avoid unnecessary surgical intervention. The rarity of benign subcutaneous emphysema in non-traumatic and non-infectious cases underscores the need for clinicians to differentiate it from more severe conditions, such as life-threatening infections. Conservative treatment is typically sufficient for benign subcutaneous emphysema, with fasciotomies reserved for emergencies. Proper diagnosis and treatment are essential to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures.
Citation: Sarıaslan AY, Kahraman M, Uçarkuş TY, Gürbüz K. To perform or not to perform fasciotomy? A rare case report. Jt Dis Relat Surg 2025;36(1):221-225. doi: 10.52312/jdrs.2025.2005.
Conceptualization and methodology, formal analysis: K.G., M.K.; Data collection: M.K., A.Y.S., T.Y.U.; Writing draft: K.G., A.Y.S.; Review & editing: K.G., M.K., T.Y.U.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.