Radiation induces specific ultrastructural changes in the human heart that are distinct from ischemia, highlighting the need for careful administration of paracardiac radiotherapy to prevent radiocardiomyopathy.
Alerts clinicians to radiation-specific cardiac injury distinct from ischemia; extends histopathologic characterization but leaves clinical implications open.
The electron microscopic changes of radiation effects on the human heart have been described for the first time. Disorganization of the nucleus, myofilaments, mitochondria, and sarcolemma was noticed after irradiation. Intracellular edema in the perinuclear region of the myofibers was noted. It has been pointed out that myocardial lesions resulting from irradiation seem to differ significantly from those of ischemia and infarction. Radiotherapy, it seems, should be administered carefully in the paracardiac region to avoid the possible production of a radiocardiomyopathy.
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George E. Burch (1968) studied this question.
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