Massive Portal Venous Gas Embolism After Scuba Diving

Introduction: Portal venous gas from a diving injury is an infrequent finding and only a few cases are described. We report a case of severe decompression sickness (DCS) associated with a massive amount of gas in the portal and mesenteric veins.

Case Report: A 49-year-old man suffered from DCS after two deep dives on the same day. He presented with cutaneous, neurological and pulmonary symptoms associated with hypoxaemia. He had no abdominal pain. A computed tomography (CT) scan showed large quantities of hepatic and portal venous gas and excluded other explanations for its presence. All symptoms disappeared with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and there were no further complications.

Discussion And Conclusion: The role of portal venous gas in DCS is not obvious. Isolated portal venous gas seems to cause no obvious harm. Medical imaging should be considered for differential diagnosis and to prevent some complications, especially in divers presenting with abdominal pain.