Modern diagnostic approaches to osteoarticular manifestations in Navy diving personnel: retrospective study

OBJECTIVE. Study the features of the pathogenesis and clinical picture of musculoskeletal disorders in different categories of the Navy military personnel and pensioners of the Defense Ministry (DM) based on a set of clinical, instrumental, laboratory and genetic examination methods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. There was screening and study of medical records of 98 Navy military personnel and pensioners of DM in the following groups: I — the Navy military personnel with no hyperbaric exposure in the anamnesis, II — military personnel, belonging to deep water divers with moderate experience (total work experience in hyperbaric conditions: 20–500 hours), III — military personnel, belonging to deep water divers with considerable experience (total work experience in hyperbaric conditions: 700–2500 hours), IV — pensioners of DM, whose professional activities were related to operations on extreme depth (aquanauts), V — pensioners of DM with no hyperbaric exposure in the anamnesis. There was a detailed laboratory and instrumental examination of bone metabolism, including digital radiography, osteodensitometry, MRI, CT and genetic testing.

RESULTS. The Navy diving personnel experience significant osteoarticular manifestations by type of dysbaric osteonecrosis, most pronounced in pensioners of DM – aquanauts.

DISCUSSION. Digital radiography and MRI are found to be an optimal diagnostic method of dysbaric osteonecrosis and “dysbarogenic osteoarthropathy”. As a method of express diagnostics, it is advisable to use innovative urine test strips to determine threshold concentrations of β-crosslaps and α-crosslaps markers of bone resorption.

marine medicine, Navy diving personnel, aquanauts, dysbaric osteonecrosis, dysbarogenic osteoarthropathy, etiology, pathogenesis, clinical picture, diagnostics

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