title: Heavy charged-particle induced lesions in rabbit cerebral cortex.
abstract: Fourteen male rabbits received single doses of 20, 40, and 80 Gy of neon irradiation with an extended Bragg peak. They were sacrificed at 1 day, 1 week, and 6 months post-irradiation. The tissue changes which showed a significant time-dose relationship were leakage of carbon particles from blood vessels, focal arachnoiditis, hemorrhage, cystic necrosis, and a total histopathologic score using a point system of grading. The focal nature of the lesions was clearly demonstrated with 2 mm thick macrotome sections. The transition zone between damaged brain and microscopically normal appearing brain was less than 1 mm and the tissue damage induced was morphologically similar to that of other radiation modalities. These findings may have important therapeutic implications for patients. The sharply demarcated boundaries of heavy charged-particle induced lesions suggest these beams will be useful for obliterating tissue in areas where it is critical that a transition from undamaged to severely damaged tissue must occur over a short distance, such as in the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Brookside Hospital, San Pablo, CA 94806.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Woodruff
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lyman
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Fabrikant
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D009356:Neon; D009929:Organ Size / Q000528:radiation effects; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D011817:Rabbits; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D011853:Radiobiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009356:Neon