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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Cerebral white-matter lesions in asymptomatic military divers
Iclal Erdem1, Senol Yildiz, Gunalp Uzun
1Department of Radiology, Taksim Teaching and Research Hospital, Taksim, Istanbul, Turkey.
Introduction:
There is some concern that over a period of years, diving may produce cumulative neurological injury even in divers who have no history of decompression sickness. We evaluated asymptomatic divers and controls for cerebral white-matter lesions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Methods:
The study enrolled 113 male military divers (34.4 +/- 5.6 yr) and 65 non-diving men (33.1 +/- 9.0 yr) in good health. Exclusion criteria included any condition that might be expected to produce neurological effects. Patent foramen ovale was not assessed. A questionnaire was used to elicit diving history. A 1.5-T MRI device was used to acquire T1, T2-weighted, and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images of the brain. A lesion was counted if it appeared hyperintense on both T2-weighted and FLAIR images.
Results:
MRI revealed brain lesions in 26 of 113 divers (23%) and in 7 of 65 (11%) controls, a difference that was statistically significant. There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to blood pressure, smoking history, or alcohol consumption, and no subject reported a history of head trauma or migraine. There was no relationship between MRI findings and age, diving history, or lipid profile in divers.
Discussion:
The higher incidence of lesions in the cerebral white matter of divers confirms the possibility that cumulative, subclinical injury to the neurological system may affect the long-term health of military and recreational divers.
