ABSTRACT
The symptom of deafness is one of the most common encountered in diving medicine. In many cases, the complaint is not supported by conventional audiometric testing. The diver may be referring to a feeling of 'fullness' or 'blockage' within the middle ear, these sensations being associated with congestion and swelling of the tympanic membrane and mucosal lining of the middle-ear cavity. It is commonly due to middle-ear barotrauma of descent, and frequently resolves within a week or so.
