Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a disease of unknown etiology characterized by inflammation of the mucosa and occasionally the submucosa of the colon. Conventional drug therapy for UC involves use of aminosalicylates (oral, topical, or both) for mild to moderate disease, corticosteroids, azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine, cyclosporine and anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy for a more severe disease. Those patients who do not respond to that therapy may require colectomy. In this article the successful use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of ulcerative colitis refractory to conventional therapies is described.
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