Neurophysiological assessment of divers with medical histories of neurological decompression illness.

OBJECTIVE To examine the possibility that subclinical damage may persist after clinical recovery from neurological decompression illness. METHODS The neuraxes of 71 divers with medical histories of neurological decompression illness and 37 non-diver controls were examined by recording the somatosensory evoked potentials produced on stimulation of the posterior tibial and median nerves. RESULTS Although the tests gave some objective support for the presence of "soft" residual neurological symptoms and signs, no evidence was given for the presence of subclinical damage. CONCLUSIONS The contention that neurological damage persists after full clinical recovery from the neurological decompression illness was not supported.