• Cutis Marmorata skin decompression sickness is a manifestation of brainstem bubble embolization, not of local skin bubblesPeer reviewedClosed access 

      10 avril 2015, Germonpré, Peter; BALESTRA, Costantinoorcid-id; Obeid, Georges; Chers, Dirk, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      "Cutis Marmorata" skin symptoms after diving, most frequently in the form of an itching or painful cutaneous red-bluish discoloration are commonly regarded as a mild form of decompression sickness (DCS), and treated with oxygen inhalation without reverting to hyperbaric recompression treatment. It has been observed that the occurrence of Cutis Marmorata is frequently associated with the presence of ...
    • Relationships between plasma lipids, proteins, surface tension and post-dive bubblesPeer reviewedOpen access 

      13 février 2015, Schellaert, Nicolas; Rolzoznik, Miroslav; BALESTRA, Costantinoorcid-id, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      Decompression sickness (DCS) in divers is caused by bubbles of inert gas. When DCS occurs, most bubbles can be found in the venous circulation: venous gas emboli (VGE). Bubbles are thought to be stabilized by low molecular weight surfactant reducing the plasma-air surface tension (γ). Proteins may play a role as well. We studied the interrelations between these substances, γ and VGE, measured before ...
    • Variability in circulating gas emboli after a same scuba diving exposurePeer reviewedClosed access 

      30 avril 2018, Papadopoulou, Virginie; Germonpré, Peter; Cosgrove, David; Eckersley, Robert; Dayton, Paul; Obeid, Georges; BOUTROS, Antoine; Tang, Meng-Txing; THEUNISSEN, Sigrid; BALESTRA, Costantinoorcid-id, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      PURPOSE: A reduction in ambient pressure or decompression from scuba diving can result in ultrasound-detectable venous gas emboli (VGE). These environmental exposures carry a risk of decompression sickness (DCS) which is mitigated by adherence to decompression schedules; however, bubbles are routinely observed for dives well within these limits and significant inter-personal variability in DCS risk ...