Objective To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen for patients with early stage cerebral infarction.Methods One hundred and four patients with early stage cerebral infarction(within 6 hours) were divided randomly into experimental and control groups.Hyperbaric oxygen(HBO)therapy was administrated immediately after batroxobin had been dripped quickly into the experimental group.HBO was initiated after the same drug was used for 7 days in the control group.HBO was administered once a day,10 times in all.Neurological im- pairment was scored and cerebral infarction areas were determined through MRI in all patients after the HBO therapy had been completed.Results The neurological impairment scores(NIS)were significantly lower after therapy than before therapy in each group,and lower in the experimental group than in the control group.Cerebral infarction areas in the experimental group were smaller than those of the control group.Conclusion HBO can encourage neurocyte function recovery and limit cerebral infarction areas in the early stage of cerebral infarction.