Effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy: a pilot project

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy for children with cerebral palsy (CP) is n ot new. Research documenting the effects in this population has been anecdo tal. We evaluated the effects of HBO2 therapy for 25 children (X = 5.6 +/- 1.6 yr) with a functional diagnosis of spastic diplegic CP. Pre- and post-H BO2 evaluations consisted of the following measures: gross motor function m easure (GMFM), fine motor function (Jebsen test for hand function), spastic ity (modified Ashworth scale), video analysis, and parental questionnaire. The protocol for HBO2 therapy was 20 treatments of 95% oxygen at 1.75 atm a bs for 60 min. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test for non-parametr ic measures was used to compare pre- and post-treatment data. Results showe d improved gross motor function in three of the five items in the GMFM test , improved fine motor function in three of the six hand tests, reduced spas ticity in three of four muscle groups when assessed by a physician speciali zing in CP, and improvements for four of nine questions posed to parents.