Histopathology 1985 May;9(5):517-34 
<b>Vascular changes in radiation bowel disease.</b> 
Hasleton PS, Carr N, Schofield PF. 

A series of 20 cases of radiation bowel disease (RBD) was studied qualitatively and the arterial changes were studied quantitatively. A control series of 45 cases was studied. In the control cases there were positive correlations between the medial thickness of all vessels studied and the diastolic blood pressure as well as the incidence of intimal fibrosis in both intramural and extramural arteries. <b>The medial thickness in all the arteries in cases of RBD was significantly higher than in the controls. This was probably due to the large number of fibrin thrombi which increased the vascular resistance. The degree of intimal fibrosis of the intramural arteries and arterioles was significantly greater than in the controls. Similarly the incidence of intimal fibrosis in all arterioles and intramural arteries was greater than the control group. The degree of intimal fibrosis was related to the dose of radiation received. The effect of radiation was an on-going process since the percentage of arterioles with intimal fibrosis increased with the time after radiotherapy. Blood pressure and age played no part in these correlations in RBD. The most consistently observed qualitative changes in RBD were in the arteries, arterioles and to a lesser extent the veins. These showed fibrin thrombi, fibrinoid necrosis, subendothelial oedema and fibrin. Various stages of healing were seen in the vessels. We believe that the blood vessels are the main site of injury in RBD and that the endothelial cell is the initial target for radiation damage.</b> 
&&url PMID: 4007790  


Can J Surg 1983 Jan;26(1):88-91 
<b>Radiation damage to large arteries.</b> 
Kalman PG, Lipton IH, Provan JL, Walker PM, Miles JT, Yeung HP. 
Little is known about late changes in large arteries after radiotherapy. Much more is known about damage to other organs and tissues. The arterial changes resemble chronic, progressive atherosclerosis which may be due to a combination of periarterial fibrosis, direct damage to the arterial wall, occlusion of vasa vasorum and acceleration of naturally occurring atherosclerosis. Factors that may predispose to arterial occlusion that relate to radiotherapy include maximum tissue dose, beam energy and field size. The authors present four patients with axillary artery occlusion that occurred 10 to 27 years after mastectomy and irradiation. The axillary artery is seldom affected by segmental atherosclerotic occlusive disease. Hence, the cause of the occlusion was most likely the irradiation. All patients did well after bypass grafting. 
&&url PMID: 6821774


Br J Radiol 1998 Aug;71(848):872-5 
<b>Carotid artery stenosis in patients who have undergone radiation therapy for head and neck malignancy.</b> 
Dubec JJ, Munk PL, Tsang V, Lee MJ, Janzen DL, Buckley J, Seal M, Taylor D. 
Department of Radiology, Vancouver Hospital, BC, Canada. 
<b>Although it is established that small and medium sized arteries undergo extensive radiation damage, the effect on large vessels such as the carotid arteries is less well understood. ...Carotid artery stenosis appears to be increased in patients who have previously undergone treatment with radiotherapy to the head and neck regions compared with controls (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that radiation has an adverse effect on large vessels.</b> ... 
&&url PMID: 9828801 


Radiat Res 1996 Sep;146(3):313-20 
<b>Boron neutron capture irradiation of the rat spinal cord: histopathological evidence of a vascular-mediated pathogenesis.</b> 
Morris GM, Coderre JA, Bywaters A, Whitehouse E, Hopewell JW. The Research Institute, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom. 
A histopathological study was carried out on the spinal cord of rats after boron neutron capture (BNC) irradiation.... <b>This points to the vascular endothelium as being the critical target cell population, damage to which results in the development of the lesions seen in the spinal cord after BNC irradiation and, by inference, after irradiation with more conventional modalities.</b> 
&&url PMID: 8752310  


Neuroradiology 1994 Nov;36(8):611-3 
<b>Bilateral aneurysms of the cavernous internal carotid arteries following yttrium-90 implantation.</b> 
McConachie NS, Jacobson I. Department of Radiology, Dundee Royal Infirmary, UK. 
<b>We present a case of bilateral aneurysms of the cavernous internal carotid arteries probably caused by radiation damage due to yttrium-90 implantation for a pituitary adenoma. Other possible aetiological factors are discussed.</b> 
&&url PMID: 7862276  


Clin Radiol 1994 Sep;49(9):630-3 
<b>Percutaneous intervention for radiation damage to axillary arteries.</b> 
McBride KD, Beard JD, Gaines PA. Department of Radiology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield. 
<b>Radiation injury to subclavian and axillary arteries is a rare and late complication of radiotherapy.</b> ... 
&&url PMID: 7955891  


Strahlenther Onkol 1995 Aug;171(8):427-36
<b>[Radiation sequelae in the large arteries. A review of clinical and experimental data].</b> [Article in German] 
Schultz-Hector S, Kallfass E, Sund M. GSF-Institut fur Strahlenbiologie, Neuherberg. 

...: In the course of radiation therapy of malignant tumors, inclusion of major arteries into the radiation field is often inevitable. ...clinical case reports and studies were compiled and analyzed with respect to the effect of irradiation on the risk of arteriosclerotic changes within the radiation field.
 ... a consistent 3- to 4-fold increase in carotid stenoses is observed following radiation therapy of head and neck tumors. The majority of clinically symptomatic stenoses, however, is not observed earlier than 8 years post irradiation. ... Following mediastinal or thoracic wall irradiation, the risk of coronary artery disease is significantly increased after follow-up times of > or = 10 years. Radiation related arterial injury is sharply limited to arterial segments included in the treatment field and is often observed in unusual locations. ... Irradiation of large blood vessels in the course of tumor therapy represents a long-term local risk factor for development of arteriosclerosis. 
&&url PMID: 7652665


J Interv Cardiol 1995 Aug;8(4):355-8Related Articles, Books, LinkOut 
<b>Directional coronary atherectomy for the diagnosis and treatment of radiation-induced coronary artery stenosis.</b> 
Joseph A, Dunker D, Talley JD, Seeger J, Ackerman D. Department of Pathology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, USA. 
While radiation therapy has been known to cause myocardial and pericardial damage, its role in accentuating coronary artery disease in the absence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors has been controversial. As younger patients with treatable cancers are being treated with mediastinal radiation, coronary artery disease as a cause for severe chest pain should be entertained as a possible diagnosis. ... 
&&url PMID: 10172446 


Rofo Fortschr Geb Rontgenstr Neuen Bildgeb Verfahr 1991 Jan;154(1):39-43 
<b>[Arterial lesions following radiotherapy].</b> [Article in German] 
Paes E, Treitschke F, Suhr P, Friedrich JM, Mickley V, Vollmar JF. 
Abteilung fur Gefass-, Thorax- und Herzchirurgie, Klinikum der Universitat Ulm. 
... The time interval between radiotherapy because of malignancy and onset of symptoms due to radiation-induced atherosclerosis was on an average 7 years (1 month-29 years). A typical morphological finding at angiography was the well-localised vascular lesion in the previous radiation area, its localisation clearly distinguishable from typical atherosclerotic lesions. ... 
&&url PMID: 1846691