What Researchers Did
Clinicians documented the first reported case of HBOT treating radiation-induced dropped head syndrome in a 59-year-old man who developed severe neck extensor weakness 34 years after mantle field radiotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma, treating him with 60 HBOT sessions alongside physiotherapy and thiamine supplementation.
What They Found
The patient showed meaningful improvement in his ability to maintain head position and swallow after completing 60 HBOT sessions. Improvements were maintained at 3-year follow-up, providing unusually durable long-term benefit for a condition with very limited treatment options.
Canadian Relevance
Delayed radiation injury is an OHIP-covered indication for HBOT in Ontario. Canadian Hodgkin lymphoma survivors treated with mantle field radiation should be aware that HBOT may be beneficial if late-onset neurological or musculoskeletal radiation complications develop.
Study Limitations
Single case report with co-interventions (physiotherapy, thiamine); the independent contribution of HBOT versus the other treatments cannot be determined.