The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on post stroke aphasia

Abstract

Background: Ischemic stroke is the third cause of mortality in the world even though it decreased over the last decade, it remains a major etiology of a lifelong handicap. In fact, approximately one third of the patients will experience aphasia, a devastating impairment for the patient and his family. The language rehabilitation enable variant degrees of recovery and mild improvement occurs within the first six months but results still less efficient than desired. Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the effects of hyperbaric oxygenotherapy in post stroke aphasia during the chronic phase. Methods: We report a case series of 3 patients suffering from post-ischemic stroke Broca’s aphasia, all hospitalized and taken in charge in the neurology department of the military hospital of Tunis, between 2018 and 2020. Each patient had around 30 to 40 sessions of Hyperbaric Oxygenotherapy (HBO). The evaluation of the language was performed with the Montreal Toulouse MT 86 using the Arabic version before and after HBO. Results and discussion: Recovery after HBO was recorded in the three patients with the improvement of variant dimension of the language: Output of spontaneous speech besides oral and written expression. HBO through hyperoxia, induces several effects permitting the restoration of cerebral cell metabolism and blood brain barrier structure. Conclusion: The presented results suggest that HBO could be an efficient and reliable therapy that helps recover from post stroke aphasia sequelae. Even though its mechanisms aren’t well elucidated, further studies are needed to confirm its benefits.