MRI screening of dysbaric osteonecrosis in hyperbaric-chamber inside attendants

Abstract

Inside attendants are medical staff who accompany patients during hyperbaric oxygen treatments. Dysbaric osteonecrosis (DON) is a well-known consequence of hyperbaric exposure. The aim of this study was to evaluate DON in inside attendants using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The bilateral shoulder, hip and knee joints of 12 inside attendants (four men, eight women; mean age 29 years; age range 22-36 years) were investigated. The mean +/- SD duration of employment as an inside attendant was 3.8 +/- 3.0 years (range 1-9 years) and the mean +/- SD number of hyperbaric exposures was 198 +/- 267 (median 96; range 30-950). None of the inside attendants had a history of decompression sickness. The MRIs of the attendants did not reveal bone lesions consistent with DON. This study failed to find an increased risk for DON in inside attendants. Additional multicentre epidemiological studies are warranted to investigate the occupational safety of inside attendants.