International conference on ultrasound for diving research

The conference Ultrasound for diving research aims to establish a consensus on how ultrasound should be used this field to be able to compare data between studies, since the methodology used by different research groups today are often very different, making comparisons between studies difficult. It is well accepted that divers commonly develop bubbles or 'venous gas emboli' (VGE) on decompression, though most will never be aware of their presence, as the bubbles are 'silent' and are not accompanied by symptoms of decompression sickness (DCS). The fundamental significance associated with VGE is their relationship with the development of DCS. Studies have shown that the absence of VGE correlates well with the absence of DCS; in other words if bubbles cannot be detected, then it is unlikely that symptoms of DCS will occur. The overriding problem with today´s use of ultrasound is the existence of conflicting procedures and experimental protocols between research groups. This means that it can be difficult to compare and contrast data. Often measurements made by some groups and the conclusions drawn from them are meaningless, as reference to the original literature citing best practice experimental protocol for data collection has not been adhered to. The main aim of this workshop would be to provide a broad understanding of the techniques and their benefits for both new and experienced investigators and most importantly, reach a consensus on standardisation of experimental protocols to form a guideline for the diving research community using these tools. This consensus agreement would be published in due course.