Published online September 15, 2005
PEDIATRICS Vol. 116 No. 4 October 2005, pp. e586-e591 (doi:10.1542/10.1542/peds.2004-2851)
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ELECTRONIC ARTICLE

Quantification of Neurocognitive Changes Before, During, and After Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in a Case of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Kenneth P. Stoller, MD

From the Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most common nonhereditary cause of mental retardation, with deficits in general intellectual functioning, learning, memory, attention, and problem-solving. Presented here is the first case in which measured neurocognitive abilities were determined before, during, and after hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a case of FAS involving a teenage male patient. Memory, reaction time, and visual motor speed assessments were compared. After 40 hyperbaric treatments with 100% oxygen at 1.5 atmospheres absolute, the patient’s performance in 6 of 6 categories of the computer-administered test battery improved. Word composite (verbal) scores improved from 55% to 73%, memory composite (visual) scores improved from 38% to 55%, reaction time composites improved from 1.03 to 0.53 seconds, impulse control composite scores improved from 8 to 5, and visual motor speed scores improved from 18.6 to 19.03. The patient’s subjective symptoms diminished 94%. Six months after these treatments, the patient’s verbal memory was maintained at 73% without any other interventions; impulsivity continued to improve, whereas other indices did not. Thirty-three additional treatments continued to improve test performance, with verbal memory at 95%, visual memory at 57%, and a 100% reduction of subjective symptoms. This patient, with 15-year-matured FAS, benefited from a short course of low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy, sustained durable cognitive improvements, and continued to exhibit improvement with another short course of treatments.

Key Words: hyperbaric oxygen therapy • fetal alcohol syndrome

Abbreviations: FAS, fetal alcohol syndrome • ATA, atmospheres absolute • HBOT, hyperbaric oxygen therapy • ARND, alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders • DCS, decompression sickness • SPECT, single-photon emission computed tomographic

Accepted Apr 14, 2005.


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