[Hearing impairment in divers].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C Klingmann.
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BACKGROUND: There has been a steady in-crease of recreational scuba divers in the last years. The majority of diving associated diseases involve otorhinolaryngology, the most important of which are cochleovestibular dysfunctions as these can lead to permanent inner ear failure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We discuss the origin and clinical symptoms, as well as the therapy, of both inner ear barotrauma and inner ear decompression illness. Our own experiences are considered together with a review of the literature from the last decade. RESULTS: Inner ear decompression illness seems to be a relatively common diving associated incident and is not as rare as previously thought. DISCUSSION: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the treatment of choice for patients with inner ear decompression sickness, but is contraindicated in patients with inner ear barotrauma. As long as an inner ear decompression illness can not be ruled out, we suggest that every patient should be treated using hyperbaric oxygen therapy but only after bilateral paracentesis.
There has been a steady increase in the number of recreational scuba divers in the last years, with a growing number of diving associated diseases involving ENT medicine. Disorders of the ears, sinuses and pharynx are those most common in divers. In particular, external otitis and barotrauma of the middle ear are commonly treated by every ENT specialist. They usually do not lead to any permanent complaints. Incidents involving the cochleovestibular system are less common, but can result in deafness, vertigo and tinnitus, and therefore have to be treated appropriately. To treat diving medical disorders, the physician has to have some basic understanding of the physical laws that lead to diving incidents. This article will inform the reader of the forces that are encountered by divers, and then give details of the treatment of acute ENT diseases which result from diving incidents.
Diving has become increasingly popular. With the growing number of patients who want to dive, there is an increasing number of divers who require their regular medical examination. As ENT problems are the most common disorders in divers, otorhinolaryngologists regularly have to assess the diver's fitness. It should be noted that an ENT examination does not certify complete fitness to dive! Diving can be resumed 3 months after middle ear surgery, especially after tympanoplastic type I, II and III with insertion of a PORP, when there is regular middle ear ventilation without atrophic scars of the tympanic membrane. Even after stapes surgery, diving can be resumed when there are no signs of vestibular irritation during a provocation test. By 3 months after sinus surgery, the diver should perform a test dive under supervision before fitness to dive can be certified. After inner ear barotrauma, the diver remains fit to dive depending on his hearing ability in the involved ear. After inner ear decompression illness, one should look for a vascular right-to-left shunt before diving can be resumed. These and many more aspects are discussed in this article on how to determine whether a diver with ENT problems is fit to dive.
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Paradoxical gas embolism is a possible cause of neurologic sequelae after decompression in divers. The authors detected arterial bubbles after decompression from chamber dives in two of six divers using transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD). Arterial bubbles correlated with the size of right-to-left shunting as diagnosed by contrast TCD. The pathway of spontaneous paradoxical embolism was tracked for the first time, supporting the concept of paradoxical gas embolism as a cause of early neurologic sequelae after decompression in at-risk divers.