Research on the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in cerebral palsy
In the past, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been widely used in paediatric patients, including in resuscitation, respiratory failure, congenital cranial injuries and haemolytic disease in neonates. This therapy has been used to lower serum bilirubin levels to prevent the development of neurological disorders. For respiratory failure, early use of HBOT led to improvement in 75% cases.
In 1988, Italian doctors applied HBOT to foetuses in the womb, which showed a reduction in brain damage after the therapy. Patients hospitalised before 35 weeks' gestation were given 40-minute sessions of oxygen therapy every two weeks, resulting in an improvement in the fetal biophysiological profile after only the second treatment.
At the 'New Horizons of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy' conference in 1989 in Orlando, Florida, the results of HBOT rehabilitation in more than 230 patients with cerebral palsy were presented. The patients had been treated since 1985 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Therapy consisted of 20 hour-long sessions at an atmospheric pressure of 1.5 ATA (100% oxygen), once or twice a day in a single-person chamber. Results showed a significant 50% reduction in spasticity in 94,78% patients. Of the 82 patients observed long-term, 62 (75.6%) reported sustained improvements in spasticity reduction and improved motor control. Parents also reported positive changes in their children's muscle balance and intellectual function.
Results of further research
The results of a continuation of this work in Brazil were presented in 2001 at the Second International Symposium 'Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and the Child with Brain Injury' in Boca Raton, Florida. Of the 2030 patients suffering from chronic childhood encephalopathy, 232 were followed up long-term. The age of the patients ranged from 1 to 34 years.
The results indicated improvements in 41,81% patients in terms of spasticity reduction, and 18% patients showed improvements in global motor coordination. Positive changes were also noted in other areas:
- Memory: 10.77%
- Inception: 13.33%
- Reason: 5.60%
- Visual perception: 12.93%
- Sphincter control: 6.46%
HBOT as a causal therapy in cerebral palsy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in cerebral palsy is an adjunctive therapy that accelerates the process of psychomotor re-education through adequate oxygenation of nerve cells. One of the main causes of MPD is perinatal hypoxia, which is why HBOT is effective in rehabilitation as it eliminates the root cause of the disease, rather than just alleviating its symptoms.