Abstract:
Objective
To investigate the clinical efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen combined with drugs and changes of laboratory-related indicators in children with viral encephalitis.
Methods
Fifty-five children with viral encephalitis treated in our hospital from March 2011 to March 2016 were selected as the clinical subjects. They were randomly divided into two groups: the observation group of 77 cases and the control group of 76 cases. The patients in the control group were treated with anti-virus, anti-fever, sedation and antiemetic treatment and nutritional support; the patients in the observation group were treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy in addition to the treatment for the control group, once a day for 7 days as a course of treatment. After three consecutive courses, the clinical efficacy and laboratory parameters of the two groups  were compared, such as vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), soluble vascular cell adhesion factor 1(sVCAM-1), β-endorphin(β-EP) and myelin basic protein(MBP).
Results
The total effective rate was 94.81%(73/77) in the observation group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group(82.89%, 63/76), the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05). After treatment, vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1(sVCAM-1), β-endorphin(β-EP) and myelin basic protein(MBP) in the observation group were significantly reduced, and compared with the observation group before treatment and the control group after treatment, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).
Conclusion
Hyperbaric oxygen combined with drug treatment for children with viral encephalitis is more effective than the simple drug symptomatic treatment, which is more favorable for the recovery of the children.

Key words: Encephalitis, Viral, Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Efficacy, Children