What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a clinical trial to assess the long-term efficacy, safety, and feasibility of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in 20 Crohn's disease patients with therapy-refractory perianal fistulas.
What They Found
At week 60, the median perianal disease activity index score remained significantly lower than baseline at 4 (95% CI 3-7, p < 0.001), and the modified Van Assche index score was 7.7 (95% CI 5.2-10.2, p = 0.003). Inactive perianal disease (score of 4 or less) was observed in 12 of 20 patients at week 60, with 13 patients showing a clinical response based on fistula drainage assessment.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with Crohn's disease experiencing perianal fistulas that do not respond to conventional treatments, hyperbaric oxygen therapy may offer a new long-term treatment option. This therapy could potentially reduce disease activity and improve clinical response, offering relief for a challenging complication of Crohn's disease.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada and does not include Canadian participants or specific Canadian healthcare contexts.
Study Limitations
A significant limitation of this study is the small sample size of only 20 patients, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.