HYPERBARIC-OXYGEN TREATMENT FOR RADIATION PROCTITIS

Purpose: Our objective was to assess, retrospectively, the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen treatment in radiation proctitis in all patients wh o have completed treatment for this disease at the Fremantle Hyperbari c Oxygen Unit, This unit is the only one of its kind in Western Austra lia. Methods and Materials: Patients were assessed by a review of hosp ital records, blood bank records, and clinic review (if this was conve nient), and all patients responded to a telephone survey, Patients wer e questioned regarding radiation proctitis symptoms and the degree to which each had improved. Results: Most patients had previously been tr eated with radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma, Patients with proctiti s mainly suffered from bleeding, diarrhoea, incontinence, and pain, In more than half of these patients, symptoms partially or completely re solved after hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Conclusion: Radiation-induce d proctitis is a difficult clinical problem to treat and will probably become more significant with the rising incidence of diagnosis of pro state cancer, Hyperbaric Oxygen should be considered in the treatment of radiation-induced proctitis, Further prospective trials with strict protocol guidelines are warranted. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.