J Korean Acad Rehabil Med.  2003 Jun;27(3):335-339.

Effects of Hyperbaric Air Therapy on Cerebral Perfusion in Children with Cerebral Palsy

• Jung HY
• Han YK
• Hyun IY

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of hyperbaric air therapy (HAT) on cerebral perfusion for children with cerebral palsy. METHOD: The protocol for HAT consisted of consecutive 10 days in which a child and his/her caregiver were held in 1.3 atm hyperbaric air chamber for 60 minutes per one day. Nine children with cerebral palsy underwent 99mTc-HMPAO single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) before and after HAT. The change of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was evaluated by subtraction analysis using statistical parametric mapping. RESULTS: Average gestational age and birth weights were 34.0+/-5.1 months, and 2.3+/-1.2 kg, respectively. Two spastic quadriplegics, four spastic diplegics, two spastic hemiplegics, and one ataxic child were enrolled. In 3 out of 9 children, rCBF change was demonstrated; increased perfusion in right cerebellar hemisphere in child with diffuse brain atrophy and increased perfusion in diffuse cerebral cortex in child with left frontal leukoencephalopathy and decreased perfusion of right frontal cortex in child with right frontal leukoencephalopathy. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that HAT may recruit less excitable neurons that was of functionally silent in motor cortex, previously. However, increased rCBF following HAT protocol could not be ruled out whether the result of learning effects or HAT.

Keyword

Tc-HMPAO SPECT; Brain plasticity

MeSH Terms

Atrophy
Birth Weight
Brain
Caregivers
Cerebral Cortex
Cerebral Palsy*
Child*
Gestational Age
Humans
Learning
Leukoencephalopathies
Motor Cortex
Muscle Spasticity
Neurons
Perfusion*
Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime
Tomography, Emission-Computed
Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime