Radiation therapy is an important part of treatment of tumours of the pelvis minor. Late effects can develop months or years after treatment, and they occur in a severe form (RTOG grades 3 or 4) in 5-15% of irradiated patients. In the last few years, besides other invasive and non-invasive methods, radiotherapy-induced late complications have also been treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Such treatment first proved successful in the treatment of osteonecrosis of the jaw, while in the last few years, the studies have confirmed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is also effective in the treatment of post-radiation cystitis and proctitis. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy minimises the likelihood of complications, reduces the already developed symptoms and signs, and significantly improves the quality of life. In the last six years, only seven patients were treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana for post-radiation injuries developed due to pelvic irradiation, although such treatment should be provided to 40-50 patients annually.Obsevanje predstavlja pomemben del zdravljenja tumorjev male medenice. Pozne posledice se lahko razvijejo od nekaj mesecev pa do več let po končanem zdravljenju in se vhudi obliki (3. ali 4. stopnje po lestvici RTOG) pojavijo pri 5 do 15 % obsevanih bolnikov. Poleg ostalih invazivnih in neinvazivnih metod se v zadnjih letih pri zdravljenju poznih zapletov obsevanja uporablja tudi zdravljenje s hiperbaričnim kisikom. Uspešnost tovrstnega zdravljenja je bila dokaza nanajprej za zdravljenje osteonekroze čeljustnice, v zadnjih letihpa so študije potrdile tudi uspešnost zdravljenja poobsevalnega cistitisa in proktitisa s hiperbaričnim kisikom. Zdravljenje s hiperbaričnim kisikom zmanjša verjetnost nastanka posledic, zmanjša že razvite simptome in znake ter pomembno izboljša kakovost življenja. V zadnjih šestih letih se je le 7 bolnikov Onkološkega inštituta Ljubljana zdravilo s hiperbaričnim kisikom zaradi poobsevalnih poškodb, ki so nastale zaradi obsevanja medenice, čeprav bi tovrstno zdravljenje letno potrebovalo 40 do 50 bolnikov. ; slv - slovensk
