Neurological response to hyperbaric oxygen--a criterion for cerebral revascularization.

Twenty-two patients with cerebral infarction secondary to occlusion of a carotid or middle cerebral artery were exposed to hyperbaric oxygen at 1.5 atmospheres absolute pressure. Ten of the patients demonstrated improved motor function during hyperbaric exposure. Seven of these patients had successful surgical revascularization and no recurrence of neurological deficit. In 3 patients who were not successfully revascularized, the neurological deficit recurred. It is concluded that response to hyperbaric oxygen may be of use in the selection of patients with neurological deficit who will benefit from surgical revascularization of the brain.