Abstract

In the present study, the curative effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and conventional drug treatment on spinal cord injury at different therapeutic windowswere observed and compared. A total of 328 cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) were randomly divided into hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) group and medicine group. The conventional drug treatment in the medicine group consisted of mannitol, ganglion monoglyceride, rehabilitation training and acupuncture. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the basis of the aforementioned basic drug treatments was given in the HBO group. Before treatment and 3 months after treatment, neurological functions and activities of daily living of each patient were evaluated with ASIA neurological function scoring and Barthel index. The sensory, motor function and activities of daily living of patients who were treated within 8 h after SCI were significantly improved in two groups (P<0.01). The symptoms of the patients who were treated within 24 h after SCI were improved (P<0.01), but the efficacy was worse than patients who were treated within 8 h. Besides, the curative effects in the HBO group was better than medicine group (P<0.05). Among different therapeutic windows in the same group, treatment within 24 h could obtain satisfactory curative effects. The curative effects of treatment later than 1 w were poor in both groups (p>0.05). Both hyperbaric oxygen therapy and conventional treatment within 8 h following SCI could greatly improve the neurological functions and activities of daily living of SCI patients. Both treatments between 8 h and 1 w following SCI could also improve the neurological functions and activities of daily living of SCI patients, but the curative effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy were better than conventional treatment. However, the curative effects of these treatments beyond 1 w were poor.

Key words: Spinal cord injury, hyperbaric oxygen, medicine, therapeutic windows, curative effects.