title: MRI findings of otic and sinus barotrauma in patients with carbon monoxide poisoning during hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the MRI findings of otic and sinus barotrauma in patients with carbon monoxide(CO) poisoning during hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy and examine the discrepancies of otic and sinus abnormalities on MRI between barotrauma and acute otitis media with effusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients with CO-poisoning diagnosed with otic and sinus barotrauma after HBO therapy were recruited. Brain MRI was performed to predict delayed encephalopathy. Over the same period, 88 patients with acute otitis media with effusion on MRI served as control. The abnormalities of the middle ear and paranasal sinuses on MRI were noted and were compared between groups. Nine patients with barotrauma were followed up by MRI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the barotrauma group, 92.5% of patients had bilateral middle ear abnormalities on MRI, and 60% of patients had both middle ear cavity and mastoid cavity abnormalities on MRI in both ears. Both rates were higher than those in the control group (p = 0.000). In the two groups, most abnormalities on MRI were observed in the mastoid cavity. The rate of sinus abnormalities of barotrauma was 66.3%, which was higher than the 50% in the control group (p = 0.033). In the nine patients with barotrauma followed up by MRI, the otic barotrauma and sinus abnormalities had worsened in 2 patients and 5 patients, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI is able to depict the abnormalities of otic and sinus barotrauma in patients with CO-poisoning during HBO therapy and to differentiate these from acute otitis media with effusion.
authors.affiliation: Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, and Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhao-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.forename: Pei-Ling
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001469:Barotrauma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000150:complications*; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000293:injuries*