Purpose of the study: Chronic foot compartment syndrome is a rather new notion illustrated by four cases reported in the international literature. We report a new case with bilateral involvement. The diagnosis was established by dynamic thallium scintigraphy and suggested that a less invasive management would be appropriate.

Case report: A 32-year-old male Foreign Legion recruit developed exercise-induced pain in the medial portion of the plantar aspect of both feet. The pain persisted for several months and resisted medical treatment. No medical or surgical event could be identified in the patient’s history. Pain developed systematically with exercise which had to be interrupted. It regressed progressively after interruption of exercise. The physical examination and podoscopy were not contributive. Laboratory tests, plain x-rays, MRI, and bone scintigraphy were normal. The diagnosis of chronic foot compartment syndrome was entertained. Dynamic thallium-201 scintigraphy was performed on both feet to compare the soft tissue images. Intense uptake was observed on the early images and late images of the plantar vault. These images, present on both feet, were considered compatible with chronic foot compartment syndrome. Positive diagnosis was confirmed with pressure measurements in the medial compartment. Fasciotomy was performed for the medial compartment. The patient was able to run normally at one month with complete regression of the symptoms. The patient was symptom free at two years.

Discussion: Compartment pressure measurements currently constitute the gold standard diagnostic approach. MRI, Doppler, spectroscopy, and scintigraphy have been proposed. For this functional disorder, which occurs only after exercise, we consider that compartment pressure measurement is overly invasive and painful. Furthermore, dynamic thallium-201 scintigraphy has been found to be as reliable as pressure measurements. Comparative studies would be required to determine the best evidence-based choice.

Conclusion: Chronic foot compartment syndrome is a rare entity observed in the active young subject. The medial compartment is always involved. Fasciotomy is effective treatment. Compartment pressure measurements remain the gold standard but dynamic scintigraphy would be a promising examination which merits evaluation.