A mathematical model has been developed to simulate the evolution of t
wo inert gas bubbles in tissue. This is useful for understanding the d
ynamics of bubbles that presumably arise during decompression. It is a
ssumed that they are spherical and that the tissue volume surrounding
them is infinite. The total pressure in each bubble is determined by t
he barometric and metabolic gas pressures as well as the pressure due
to surface tension. Bipolar coordinates are employed to determine the
inert gas pressure distribution. Two coupled governing equations for b
ubble radii are then derived and solved numerically. The results demon
strate how bubble evolution is affected by the distance between bubble
s and the initial bubble radii. The existence time and bubble surface
flux of two equal-sized bubbles are calculated and compared with those
of a single gas bubble model. The results indicate that when two bubb
les are very close, it takes 20% more time for two bubbles to dissolve
than for a single one, and the total surface flux of two bubbles is n
early 20% less than twice of a single bubble. When the center-to-cente
r distance is 10 times of bubble radius, the effect of bubble interact
ion on bubble existence time and surface nux are about 6 and 9% change
s, respectively. We conclude that if bubbles are not too small, the in
teractions among bubbles should be included in inert gas bubble models
predicting bubble evolution.