What Researchers Did
Researchers looked back at the medical records of nine patients who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy for spinal cord damage caused by radiation.
What They Found
The study found that 6 out of 9 patients (66%) experienced stabilization or improvement in their radiation myelopathy after hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The exact mechanisms by which hyperbaric oxygen helps radiation myelopathy are still being discussed.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients suffering from radiation myelopathy, this study suggests that hyperbaric oxygen therapy might offer a way to stabilize or improve their condition. While more research is needed, it indicates a potential non-invasive treatment option for a challenging complication of radiation therapy.
Canadian Relevance
This study covers delayed radiation injury, which is a Health Canada-recognised indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Study Limitations
As a retrospective study, it lacked a control group, making it difficult to definitively prove the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.