Dysbaric osteonecrosis screening in Turkish Navy divers


UZUN G., Toklu A. S., YILDIZ S., SONMEZ G., Aktas Ş., SEZER H., ...Daha Fazla

AVIATION SPACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE, cilt.79, sa.1, ss.44-46, 2008 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 79 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2008
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3357/asem.2183.2008
  • Dergi Adı: AVIATION SPACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.44-46
  • İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Introduction: Dysbaric osteonecrosis (DON) is regarded as an occupational disease for caisson workers, commercial, and military divers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was suggested for the surveillance of military, divers for DON. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of DON in Turkish Navy divers. Methods: The shoulder, hip, and knee joints of 106 male divers were screened for DON with MRI. A questionnaire was used to obtain information about subjects' medical history and diving experience. Results: The mean age of divers was 34.3 +/- 5.8 yr. The divers had spent an average of 12.1 +/- 6.1 yr at their occupation. The average of total hours of diving was 834 458 h. The maximum diving depth was 53.0 +/- 18.4 in (175 +/- 61 ft) and the average diving depth was 13.3 +/- 8.4 in (44 +/- 28 ft). MRI examinations of divers did not reveal bone lesions consistent with osteonecrosis. Discussion: We concluded that the risk of DON, is very low for military divers who strictly obey the decompression rules and who undergo periodic medical examination. The use of MRI for routine screening of military divers is not justified.