atmospheric inner ear barotrauma

atmospheric inner ear barotrauma

ENT Injury to the inner ear which is often permanent due to inner ear damage, most common in divers Clinical Sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, less commonly, vertigo, nystagmus and ataxia; divers usually report Sx during descent, with unilateral difficulty clearing negative pressure Management Conservative–eg bed rest, head elevation, monitoring of auditory and vestibular Sx; surgical–eg tympanotomy and middle ear exploration–reserved for progressive hearing loss or persistent vestibular Sx