Decompression Sickness with Simultaneous Cranial and Spinal Involvement: A Case Report

Abstract

Decompression sickness (DCS) causes venous and arterial embolization, resulting from decreased nitrogen solubility in the blood and tissues due to the rapid drop in external pressure, when rising to the surface after deep underwater dives. Neurological involvement is frequently seen in the medulla spinalis, but there may also be cranial involvement. A 36-year-old male patient, working as a professional diver, was brought to the emergency department with confusion, cerebellar syndrome findings, and paraplegia, soon after consecutive deep dives. Radiological examinations showed involvement of the bilateral cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres, along with the cervical and thoracic spinal cord. This patient with medulla spinalis and cranial involvement of DCS, observed simultaneously, was presented with follow-up clinical and radiological findings.

Keywords

• decompression sickness
• stroke
• embolism