OUTCOME OF NEUROLOGICAL DECOMPRESSION ILLNESS - DEVELOPMENT OF A MANIFESTATION-BASED MODEL

A significant proportion neurological decompression illness cases rema in symptomatic after the first recompression treatment. Currently, the factors that predict an incomplete resolution are poorly defined. In this study, 214 cases of neurological decompression illness were revie wed and classified according to the presenting manifestations and outc ome after a standard therapeutic regimen. The neurological manifestati ons were classified by type (loss of sensory or motor function, or los s of consciousness) and then by either the number of sites involved or the location of each manifestation. Cases with both sensory and motor manifestations were less likely to have complete resolution than thos e with sensory or motor manifestations alone, Cases with manifestation s involving the legs were less likely resolve completely than those wi th manifestations in the arms, especially if both sensory and motor ma nifestations were reported. Based on these data, a linear logistic mod el was developed to predict the probability of incomplete resolution a fter the first recompression treatment depending on the type and locat ion of the manifestations.