Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) after acute focal cerebral ischemia

For a large number of patients with stroke no therapeutic option can be offered, even after approval of thrombolytic therapy for treatment of acute ischemic stroke in the US. In cerebral ischemia local anoxia and energy failure lead to further cellular damage and finally to complete stroke. All therapeutic concepts try to salvage structurally intact tissue which is at risk for irreversible damage (so-called penumbra). Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment has been reported in animal models of cerebral ischemia,and in a few clinical reports. In general, the results of these studies have been promising. This review focuses on the clinical perspective of HBO therapy and summarizes both the clinical and experimental data available on HBO therapy following ischemic stroke.