[Decompression sickness of the spinal cord. Results of early and of late treatment].

The treatment of 20 scuba divers with decompression sickness of the spinal cord between 1969 and 1984 is reported. Seven patients presented with mild sensomotor impairments, 13 patients were paraplegic and some suffered from additional impairments to the arms. In 12 of the divers the accident that occurred in a Swiss lake and recompression was initiated with a latency of a few hours. These early treatments were successful in 11 patients. The neurologic symptoms already improved during recompression even in the 7 patients who were paraplegic. In a paraplegic woman early treatment failed, but her condition improved under subsequent hyperbaric oxygen treatment. In 9 patients late treatment after an interval of 48 to 192 hours, consisting of repeated hyperbaric oxygen exposures, was performed. 3 patients with mild neurologic disturbances improved completely. 6 patients were paraplegic. In 5 of these early treatment was without success. On 3 occasions, however, early treatment was not started before 15 to 24 hours after the dive. All 6 paraplegic patients improved considerably during late treatment. 8 of the 9 patients undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treatment had been transported by air with slightly reduced cabin pressure from the foreign country to Zurich. No deterioration of neurologic symptoms was observed during air transport.