Hyperbaric oxygen therapy does not improve recovery of deep pain perception in dogs after hemilaminectomy for intervertebral disk disease.

HBOT does not significantly improve deep pain perception recovery in dogs after hemilaminectomy for thoracolumbar IVDD.

This retrospective cohort study evaluated whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) improves recovery of deep pain perception (DPP) in dogs following hemilaminectomy for thoracolumbar intervertebral disk disease (IVDD). A total of 110 client-owned dogs with absent DPP in the pelvic limbs were divided into two groups: 45 receiving HBOT (HB) and 65 not receiving HBOT (NHB). Neurological improvement was assessed using Modified Frankel scores at preoperative, postoperative, and recheck time points. Overall, 73.3% of HB dogs and 60% of NHB dogs showed neurological improvement by recheck, but this difference was not statistically significant (P = .21), and no significant differences were detected between groups at any individual time point (P = .32). Multivariable regression analysis identified lesion location as a significant predictor of outcome: thoracolumbar lesions carried significantly worse odds of improvement compared to lumbar lesions (OR 0.01; P = .04). Notably, within the thoracolumbar lesion subgroup, dogs receiving HBOT had improved odds of neurological recovery compared to non-HBOT dogs (contrast OR 0.029; P = .01), suggesting a possible localized benefit. The number of HBOT sessions was not associated with improvement (P = .65). Overall, HBOT did not significantly impact recovery of DPP post-hemilaminectomy in this population. The study highlights lesion location as an important prognostic factor and suggests that recovery of DPP may serve as a predictor of return to ambulation. Limitations include the retrospective design and potential selection bias inherent to non-randomized group allocation.

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