Killer at 70,000 Feet
Recent Severe CNS Altitude Decompression Sickness (DCS) in U-2 Pilots
Cohort study of multiple brain lesions in sport divers
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Main outcome measures: Presence of multiple brain lesions visualised by cranial magnetic resonance imaging and presence and size of patent foramen ovale as documented by echocontrast transcranial Doppler ultrasonography.
Results: 25 subjects were found to have a right-to-left shunt, 13 with a patent foramen ovale of high haemodynamic relevance. A total of 41 brain lesions were detected in 11 divers. There were seven brain lesions in seven divers without a right-to-left shunt and 34 lesions in four divers with a right-to-left shunt. Multiple brain lesions occurred exclusively in three divers with a large patent foramen ovale (P=0.004).