HBOT and Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal Cord Injury:
Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy for acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury

S Asamoto1, H Sugiyama1, H Doi1, M Iida1, T Nagao2 and K Matsumoto3 1Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Ebara Hospital, Tokyo, Japan 2Department of Neurology, Tokyo Metropolitan Ebara Hospital, Tokyo, Japan 3Department of Neurosurgery, Showa University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan Correspondence to: S Asamoto, Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Ebara Hospital, 4-5-10 Higashi-Yukigaya, Ohta-Ku, Tokyo 145-0065, Japan Study design: A retrospective study of spinal cord injury (SCI) treated with and without hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy. Objectives: To report on the use of HBO in spinal cord injury. Setting: Neurosurgical Unit, Tokyo, Japan. Methods: Thirty-four cases of hyperextension spinal cord injury without bone damage and previous history of surgical intervention were divided into two groups, with (HBO) or without (non-HBO) therapy. The neurological findings at admission and their outcomes were evaluated by means of Neurological Cervical Spine Scale (NCSS) and the average improvement rates in individual groups were compared. Results: The improvement rate ranged from 100% to 27.3% with the mean value of 75.2% in the HBO group, while these values were 100%, 25.0% and 65.1% respectively in the non HBO group. Conclusion: In the HBO group, the improvement rate indicated effectiveness in acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord (2000) 38, 538-540.