What Researchers Did
Researchers used BOLD-fMRI and DTI to characterize and evaluate functional and anatomic changes in 16 patients with visual pathway lesions before and after hyperbaric oxygen treatment, compared to 12 healthy controls.
What They Found
Before treatment, patients had significantly fewer activated voxels (P < 0.01) and lower fractional anisotropy (P < 0.05) in the bilateral occipital cortexes compared to controls. After hyperbaric oxygen treatment, both activated voxels and fractional anisotropy significantly increased (P < 0.05). Additionally, fractional anisotropy was greater in 6 patients with optic nerve lesions than in 10 patients with optic radiation lesions (P < 0.05).
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This study suggests that hyperbaric oxygen treatment may improve both the functional and anatomical integrity of visual pathways affected by lesions. Canadian patients with visual pathway damage might potentially benefit from this therapy, warranting further investigation into its clinical application.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is its relatively small sample size, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.