What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a double-blind, sham-controlled randomised trial to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for interstitial cystitis in 21 patients.
What They Found
Three of 14 patients (21.4%) in the hyperbaric oxygen group showed a moderate or marked improvement in global response, compared to no patients in the control group (p < 0.52).
Hyperbaric oxygenation significantly decreased urgency intensity from 60.2 mm to 49.9 mm and pain intensity from 43.1 mm to 31.2 mm (p < 0.05).
The Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index score sum also decreased from 25.7 to 19.9 points in the active treatment group.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada, nor did it involve Canadian researchers or patients.
Study Limitations
The study was limited by a small sample size of 21 patients, which likely contributed to the lack of statistical significance for the primary outcome.