Primary treatment of radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis with hyperbaric oxygen: 10-year experience

Radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis continues to cause frustration for patients and urologists alike. Virtually all present modes of treatment tend to yield short-term benefits and entail potentially devastating risk by virtue of the tissue destructive nature. We report our 10-year experience in the treatment of hemorrhagic radiation cystitis with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a tissue-reparative method, in followup of our prior reports. A total of 13 patients who previously underwent radiation therapy for various pelvic malignancies had endoscopically or biopsy proved hemorrhagic cystitis. All but 1 patient experienced durable cessation of hematuria with minimal side effects following hyperbaric oxygen therapy. These results suggest hyperbaric oxygen therapy to be a significant weapon in the armamentarium for treatment of hematuria secondary to radiation-induced injury to the bladder.