Hyberbaric oxygen as sole treatment for severe radiation - induced haemorrhagic cystitis.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the safety and efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen as the primary and sole treatment for severe radiation-induced haemorrhagic cystitis.


METHODS
Hyperbaric oxygen was prospectively applied as primary treatment in 38 patients with severe radiation cystitis. Our primary endpoint was the incidence of complete and partial response to treatment, while the secondary endpoints included the duration of response, the correlation of treatment success-rate to the interval between the onset of haematuria and initiation of therapy, blood transfusion need and total radiation dose, the number of sessions to success, the avoidance of surgery and the overall survival.


RESULTS
All patients completed therapy without complications with a mean follow-up of 29.33 months. Median number of sessions needed was 33. Complete and partial response rate was 86.8% and 13.2%, respectively. All 33 patients with complete response received therapy within 6 months of the haematuria onset. One patient needed cystectomy, while 33 patients were alive at the end of follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests the early primary use of hyperbaric oxygen for radiation-induced severe cystitis as an effective and safe treatment option.
2nd Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aretaieion Academic Hospital, Greece.
Athanasios
A
Dellis
2nd Department of Urology, University of Athens, Sismanoglio General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Athanasios
A
Papatsoris
Department of Diving and Hyperbaric Oxygen, Naval and Veterans Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Vasileios
V
Kalentzos
2nd Department of Urology, University of Athens, Sismanoglio General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Charalambos
C
Deliveliotis
2nd Department of Urology, University of Athens, Sismanoglio General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Andreas
A
Skolarikos
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015653:Cystectomy; D003556:Cystitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
 Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; Cystitis; Urinary Bladder