Comprehensive hyperbaric oxygen therapy of 280 cases of persistent vegetative state

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of comprehensive hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on 280 cases of persistent vegetative state (PVS) and the importance of radiological examination in the diagnosis of PVS.Methods Comprehensive HBO therapy combined with blood magnetization therapy and drugs treatment were administered to 280 patients with PVS.Results In a total of 280 PVS cases,85 were cured,accounting for 30.4%;148 cases improved,accounting for 52.8%;43 cases,accounting for 15.2% remained in the persistent vegetative state,but with overall improvement;4 cases died,accounting for 1.6%.Abnormal signs and symptoms could be found via cerebral CT in the 280 cases of PVS.Atrophy of mesencephalon and brain stem were revealed through MRI examination in 76 cases of PVS.Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) found that blood perfusion in different cerebral regions decreased in 32 cases of PVS.Following comprehensive HBO therapy coupled with other treatment for 20 - 50 times patients recovered from PVS to various degrees and radiological examinations revealed that signs and symptoms improved significantly.Conclusions The therapeutic effect of comprehensive HBO couple with other treatment on PVS was satisfactory.Cerebral SPECT imaging could be complementary to CT and MRI and it could be used as an index to forecast the therapeutic effect of comprehensive HBO treatment and prognosis of PVS. Key words: Persistent vegetative state; Comprehensive HBO treatment; Radiological examination