Patchy myocardial fibrosis 20 years after radiation therapy.
We describe a case of a young woman diagnosed with Ewings sarcoma at age 8 and treated with adriamycin and radiation therapy. Twenty years later the patient has a cardiomyopathy and a focal area of patchy infiltration of fibrotic tissue along the left ventricle and atrium. Although fibrosis due to radiation exposure has been demonstrated on biopsy and autopsy studies, we are not aware of previous reports of echocardiographic demonstration of this finding. The most likely explanation for the fibrosis location is the left posterolateral direction of the radiation beam.
Wyman
Rachael A
RA
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin 53792-0405, USA.
Rahko
Peter S
PS
D000328:Adult; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004719:Endomyocardial Fibrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*