title: Barotrauma presenting as temporal lobe injury secondary to temporal bone rupture.
abstract: We present the case of a scuba diver who experienced acute ear pain during ascent from a dive. CT imaging was performed because of severe unrelenting headache. Blood and gas was identified within the epidural space of the middle fossa and over the petrous bone, as well as hemorrhage within the adjacent temporal lobe. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of CT-documented barotrauma affecting the brain as a result of middle-ear gas rupturing through the tegmen tympani.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Maria D P
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Cortes
authors.forename: Neil S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Longridge
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lepawsky
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Nugent
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004242:Diving / Q000293:injuries*; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed