高気圧作業による聴器障害

　I．緒言

　近時潜函，潜水作業による災害疾病増加の傾向に鑑み，労働省はその認定指針を作成するに至つた。著者の一人河村もその委員として参加したのでその大略を述べ，一方我々が外因性聴器障害の一つとして取上げていた高気圧作業後のそれを主訴として1954年4月より1962年5月迄の約8年間に来院した6例につき，少数例ではあるがその概略を記し考察を加え御参考に資したい。

Observations are made on 6 cases of hearing disturbances caused by exposure to compres-sed air, during the period of 8 years, and whi-ch particularly consisted of 4 cases of Diver's disease and 2cases of Caisson disease. This disease is infrequent in occurrence. The usual complaints are tinnitus, vertigo and loss of hearing. Clinically pathological findings were evident on the tympanic membrance, auditory tube and the nasal cavity. The balance was generally lowered in function. The hearing loss though not too marked in degree was found to be complicated which in some cases was associated with central involvements. The hearing loss in this disease except in cases where the loss is incurred by anatomical causes is generally caused by air thrombosis and the patients should be treated by gradual decompression after subjecting them to reco-mpression.