Ultrasound in decompression research: fundamentals, considerations, and future technologies

Abstract

It is widely accepted that bubbles are a necessary but insufficient condition for the development of decompression sickness. However, open questions remain regarding the precise formation and behavior of these bubbles after an ambient pressure reduction (decompression), primarily due to the inherent difficulty of directly observing this phenomenon in vivo. In decompression research, information about these bubbles after a decompression is gathered via means of ultrasound acquisitions. The ability to draw conclusions regarding decompression research using ultrasound is highly influenced by the variability of the methodologies and equipment utilized by different research groups. These differences play a significant role in the quality of the data and thus the interpretation of the results. The purpose of this review is to provide a technical overview of the use of ultrasound in decompression research, particularly Doppler and brightness (B)-mode ultrasound. Further, we will discuss the strengths and limitations of these technologies and how new advancements are improving our ability to understand bubble behavior post-decompression.