Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for post-partum bell's palsy associate with anti-phospholipid syndrome: a case report, literature review, and mechanistic insights.
Vicktoria Elkarif, Eli Kravchik, Liat Morgen and 1 others
PMID 41858320WHAT IT FOUND
One postpartum woman with antiphospholipid syndrome and steroid-resistant Bell's palsy recovered fully after 12 hyperbaric oxygen sessions.
Her facial function score rose from 33% to 100%. No other treatments were added during this period.
Key findings
01The patient achieved full facial recovery after 12 hyperbaric oxygen sessions, with her Sunnybrook Facial Grading System score improving from 33% to 100%.
02The patient had shown no improvement after two weeks of daily prednisone before starting hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
03Symptoms including tinnitus resolved, and anti-dsDNA antibodies turned negative following hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is a single case report, so it cannot establish that hyperbaric oxygen therapy caused the recovery. The patient had concurrent prednisone use, making it difficult to separate the effects of steroid withdrawal or delayed steroid action from hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Generalizability is restricted to postpartum women with antiphospholipid syndrome and steroid-resistant Bell's palsy. The paper notes limitations in generalizability and precludes definitive conclusions regarding sustained efficacy.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this single case as evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy works for Bell's palsy in general. The patient had antiphospholipid syndrome and was already taking prednisone, so the specific contribution of hyperbaric oxygen cannot be separated from other factors or natural recovery.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →