J Korean Neurol Assoc.  2003 Feb;21(1):77-81.

Therapeutic Effect of Different Tables in Spinal Type of Decompression Sickness

• Kim JY
• Ahn JY
• Kim BJ
• Kim MK

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Recompression therapy is well established in the treatment of decompression sickness (DCS) including spinal type. However it was not confirm whether each United State Navy (USN) treatment tables had different therapeutic effect in spinal type of DCS. The purpose of this study is to find if the use of different tables results in a different outcome in spinal type of DCS. And we want to reconfirm an unsatisfactory cure rate of USN table 6. METHODS: We applied different USN treatment tables, 6, 6a and 6a1, to spinal type of DCS for 10 years. 68 patients with spinal type of DCS were treated with recompression therapy, 16 patients by table 6, 31 by 6a, and 21 by 6a1. We reviewed the outcome of motor power before and after each treatment. And we investigated age, diving experience, depth of dive, bottom time of dive, and onset of treatment before the treatment in each treatment group. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between each treatment group in age, diving experience, depth of dive, bottom time of dive, onset of treatment and the grade of motor power before the treatment. Marked motor power improvements were noticed in 59.6% (table 6; 18.7%, 6a; 74.2%, and 6a1; 81%). There were significant differences of motor power improvement between groups 6 and 6a (p=0.0057), 6 and 6a1 (p=0.0053) and 6a and 6a1 (p=0.0139). CONCLUSIONS: We think that table 6a1 should be used in spinal type of DCS. And table 6 is not useful in spinal type DCS.

Keyword

Decompression sickness; Hyperbaric oxygen therapy; USN treatment table

MeSH Terms

Decompression Sickness*
Decompression*
Diving
Humans
Hyperbaric Oxygenation