What Researchers Did
Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate dysbaric osteonecrosis (DON) in the shoulder, hip, and knee joints of 12 hyperbaric-chamber inside attendants.
What They Found
The 12 inside attendants (mean age 29 years) had a mean employment duration of 3.8 years and a mean of 198 hyperbaric exposures. Importantly, none of the attendants had a history of decompression sickness, and their MRIs showed no bone lesions consistent with dysbaric osteonecrosis.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada and has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A key limitation of this study is its small sample size of only 12 inside attendants, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.