See Also: Decompression(medicine)
decompression(dictionary)
Decompression(health)
orbital decompression(medicine)
pericardial decompression(medicine)
rapid decompression(medicine)
spinal decompression(medicine)
suboccipital decompression(medicine)
subtemporal decompression(medicine)
trigeminal decompression(medicine)

decompression (iou)



decompression noun. E20.
[from DE- 3 + COMPRESSION.]
The process of relieving or reducing pressure; spec. (a) the returning of a subject experiencing increased pressure, e.g. a deep-sea diver, to atmospheric pressure, usu. gradually under controlled conditions; (b) (sudden) reduction of air pressure in an aircraft etc. to the ambient external pressure; (c) surgical relief of excessive internal pressure in a part of the body. E20.
Computing. The expansion or restoration of files or digital signals that have previously been compressed. M20.
Comb.: decompression chamber: in which pressure can be maintained either above atmospheric, esp. in order to decompress a diver etc. gradually, or below atmospheric, e.g. to subject an organism to reduced pressure; decompression sickness a condition which results from too rapid decompression (and consequent formation of nitrogen bubbles in the tissues) and may involve pain in the joints (the bends (BEND noun3)), numbness, nausea, paralysis, etc.