What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a pilot study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for six patients with interstitial cystitis, following them for 15 months after 30 HBOT sessions of 100% oxygen inhalation.
What They Found
Four out of six patients reported excellent or good results and improved well-being after hyperbaric oxygen therapy. At 12 months, these patients saw their functional bladder capacity increase from 37-161 ml to 160-200 ml, and their daily voiding frequency decreased from 15-27 to 6-11 times. They also experienced significant reductions in pain (from 20-97 mm to 3-30 mm) and urgency (from 53-92 mm to 3-40 mm) on visual analog scales.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This was a small pilot study with only six patients, which limits how broadly these findings can be applied to the general population.