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Vertigo due to barotrauma

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Vertigo

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Abstract

This type of vertigo is associated with exposure to alterations in ambient pressure, either an increase (diving, pressure chamber, explosions) or a decrease (flying, altitude chambers). The atmosphere exerts an absolute pressure of 760 mmHg (1013 mbar) at sea level, the standard one atmosphere absolute (1 ATA) pressure. Changes of pressure in water increase linearly with increasing depth: one atmosphere is added for each 10 m. This increased pressure is balanced by breathing air delivered at the new ambient pressure and by equalizing the pressure in all gas-containing body cavities to ambient (Farmer and Thomas 1976; Margulies 1987). The volume of gas varies inversely with ambient pressure. It is this pressure-volume relationship that mostly causes barotrauma. The likelihood of damage to the Eustachian tube and middle and inner ear increases as the rate of change of external pressure increases, because large pressure differentials are produced in these areas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurologische Klinik, Klinikum Großhadern, Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität, Marchioninistraße 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

    Professor Thomas Brandt FRCP

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  1. Professor Thomas Brandt FRCP
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© 2003 Springer-Verlag London

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Brandt, T. (2003). Vertigo due to barotrauma. In: Vertigo. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3801-8_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3801-8_23

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-40500-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-3801-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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