Successful treatment of radiation cystitis with hyperbaric oxygen.

This report describes the results of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in 10 patients with radiation-induced cystitis. Severe macroscopic hematuria was present in all patients and was resistant to current therapy. Previously 8 patients had been treated for bladder carcinoma and 2 for prostatic carcinoma with 60 Gy radiotherapy. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy consisted of 20 sessions of 100% oxygen inhalation at 3 bar pressure for 90 min. In 6 patients the macroscopic hematuria stopped completely and it decreased in the other patients. These 4 patients had recurrent or residual bladder malignancies.