Diving & hyperbaric medicine: Overview

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the result of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in women with treated gynaecological malignancies who suffer from late radiation-induced tissue toxicity (LRITT). Moreover, which symptoms of LRITT benefit most from HBOT was evaluated as well.

Material and methods: An online literature search was conducted using PubMed; Embase and the Cochrane Library. Studies were included if the study examined gynaecological cancer patients who had been treated with radiotherapy, who suffered from LRITT and who subsequently received HBOT. In addition, the outcome measures were based on examining the effects of HBOT.

Results: Twenty-one articles were included. The study investigating proctitis reported an improvement and three out of four studies investigating cystitis reported decreased complaints in women treated for gynaecological malignancies. In addition, all studies reported improvement in patients with wound complications and fifty percent of the studies reported better Patient Reported Outcome Measurements (PROMS) in women with gynaecological malignancies. Finally, all studies, except one related to pelvic malignancies reported reduced prevalence of symptoms for cystitis and proctitis and all studies reported better PROMS. However, only eleven studies reported p-values, nine of which were significant.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that HBOT has a positive effect in women with gynaecological LRITT. Within the included patient group, gynaecological cancer patients with wound complications seem to benefit most from this treatment compared to other late side effects of LRITT.

Persistent post-concussion syndrome (PPCS) is a common and significant morbidity among children following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the evidence for effective PPCS treatments remains limited. Recent studies have shown the beneficial effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in PPCS adult patients. This randomized, sham-control, double blind trial evaluated the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on children (age 8-15) suffering from PPCS from mild-moderate TBI events six months to 10 years prior. Twenty-five children were randomized to receive 60 daily sessions of HBOT (n = 15) or sham (n = 10) treatments. Following HBOT, there was a significant increase in cognitive function including the general cognitive score (d = 0.598, p = 0.01), memory (d = 0.480, p = 0.02), executive function (d = 0.739, p = 0.003), PPCS symptoms including emotional score (p = 0.04, d = - 0.676), behavioral symptoms including hyperactivity (d = 0.244, p = 0.03), global executive composite score (d = 0.528, p = 0.001), planning/organizing score (d = 1.09, p = 0.007). Clinical outcomes correlated with significant improvements in brain MRI microstructural changes in the insula, supramarginal, lingual, inferior frontal and fusiform gyri. The study suggests that HBOT improves both cognitive and behavioral function, PPCS symptoms, and quality of life in pediatric PPCS patients at the chronic stage, even years after injury. Additional data is needed to optimize the protocol and to characterize the children who can benefit the most.