TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Case report: tracheobronchial diverticulum, a potential risk for diving?
JO  - Frontiers in medicine
A1  - Qing, Long
A1  - Wang, Yan
A1  - Zhang, Meng
A1  - Pu, Qinqin
A1  - Cai, Wanwan
A1  - Pan, Yaping
A1  - Xia, Delin
SP  - e1340974
EP  - e1340974
VL  - 10
IS  - 
N2  - Tracheobronchial diverticulum (TBD) is an asymptomatic, benign cystic lesion outside the lumen of the trachea and bronchus. This is the first report case of a SCUBA (self contained underwater breathing apparatus) diver diagnosed with TBD, which is a potential risk to diving. No literature or guideline is available so far on the diving fitness for patients with congenital or acquired TBD condition. A healthy 26-year-old male professional diver has records of SCUBA diving up to a depth of 40 meters sea water. He did not have any diving-related injuries or symptoms during his career and had no history of smoking, drinking, or other special illnesses except for a COVID-19 infection. A tracheal diverticulum was found accidentally by computed tomography (CT), but its communication with the trachea was not clear initially. Therefore, high-resolution CT and electronic bronchoscopy were done to clarify the situation of the diverticulum and identify the diving risk. High-resolution CT showed a possible opening in the diverticulum, but this was not seen under electronic bronchoscopy. Although a potential opening was shown in high-resolution CT, the lack of visual bronchoscopic evidence made it likely to be a dead cavity. As there is a higher theoretical risk of barotrauma during decompression, leading to pneumomediastinum, hemorrhage, or arterial gas embolism, the current clinical consensus is that air-containing tissue should be regarded as a relative contraindication for diving. Overall, it is recommended that the diver should dive carefully and avoid ascending too rapidly.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2296-858X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1340974
ID  - ref1
ER  -