• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.107-113
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• 1986

Radiation myelitis is a rather rare, but irreversible fatal complication. Etiology, pathologic change, clinical symptoms and the method of diagnosis have been studied with animal experiments and human necropsies. In spite of massive studies, pathogenesis of post-irradiation myelitis and the level of tolerance dose still remain controversial. Thoracolumbar spine of 110 hybrid mice were irradiated with orthovoltage x-ray machine. Mild capillary congestion and axonal swelling were observed in 1,000 rad irradiated specimens. Focal necrosis in 3,500 rad specimens, fragmentation of neural tissue in 4,000 rad specimens were also observed. These results suggest that 5,000 rad is not a completely safe tolerable dose which have been accepted and we cannot exclude direct radiation damage to news tissue as the causative pathology of radiation myelitis in addition to blood vessel damage.