[Central Nervous System Involvement in Breath-Hold Diving].

Diving accident in breath-hold (BH) divers (Ama) is a stroke-like neurological condition involving the brain. Ama divers are at a risk of ischemic brain injuries which are situated in watershed or terminal zones of cerebral arteries, and/or corticomedullary junctional area of cerebral arteries. The underlying mechanisms of brain damage in BH diving remains to be elucidated. After repetitive BH dives, nitrogen (N2) bubbles may be formed in the venous side of tissues and flow into the right atrium. N2 bubbles passing through the heart or the lungs is the most likely contributing factor. The pathophysiology of diving accident in BH diving is unclear, and more studies for stroke are needed to further elucidate its nature. (Received 29 July, 2019; Accepted 10 January, 2020; Published 1 May, 2020).