What Researchers Did
This was a narrative review summarizing the evidence for HBOT across a range of urological conditions including radiation cystitis, Fournier gangrene, interstitial cystitis, male infertility, acute kidney injury, and urological cancers.
What They Found
The review summarized that HBOT promotes anti-inflammation, new blood vessel formation, enhanced fibroblast activity, and bactericidal effects in normal tissue. In cancer tissue, HBOT may inhibit tumor aggressiveness and sensitize tumors to radiation and chemotherapy.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Several of the conditions reviewed -- particularly radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis -- are OHIP-covered HBOT indications in Ontario. Canadian urologists should be aware of the range of conditions where HBOT has evidence, enabling appropriate referrals to hyperbaric centers.
Canadian Relevance
Radiation cystitis is an OHIP-covered indication for HBOT in Ontario.
Study Limitations
This is a narrative review without meta-analysis; the quality of evidence varies widely across the different urological conditions discussed.