The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on treatment of wound complications after oral, pharyngeal and laryngeal salvage surgery.

Introduction: Radiation therapy alone, or combined with chemotherapy, are both used for cancer in the head and neck. This can lead to damage of tissue cells and vasculature. Surgery in such compromised tissues has increased complication rates, because wound healing with angiogenesis and fibroplasias requires normal cell growth conditions. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy raises oxygen levels in hypoxic tissue, stimulates angiogenesis and fibroplasia. In this report, we review the clinical value of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for major wounds that had shown no signs of healing as well as fistulas after salvage surgery in patients treated with (chemo)radiation of the head and neck regions.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 16 patients with soft-tissue wounds without signs of healing after salvage surgery, after radiation, and most after chemotherapy were treated in the head and neck regions with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The patients were treated by HBO2, 2.5 bars 90 minutes daily, usually 20 treatments.

Results: The healing processes seemed to be initiated and accelerated by HBO2. Fourteen of the 16 patients healed completely. There were no life-threatening complications.

Conclusion: Radiotherapy and combined chemoradiation therapy leads to damage of tissue cells and vasculature. Salvage surgery in such tissues has an increased complications rate, because wound healing requires angiogenesis and fibroplasias, all of which are jeopardized. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy raises oxygen levels in hypoxic tissue, stimulates angiogenesis and fibroplasias and is an effective and powerful treatment for postoperative wounds in oral, pharyngeal and laryngeal carcinomas surgery.