Stroke after pituitary irradiation.

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Cranial irradiation may lead to accelerated atherosclerosis over several years. Stroke has been described after cranial irradiation administered for a number of conditions. However, pituitary irradiation has only rarely been associated with stroke.Case Descriptions: Two patients, 39 and 46 years of age, suffered strokes 13 and 20 years, respectively, after irradiation for pituitary tumors. Strokes were in the territories of small perforating arteries, but large vessels such as the carotid siphon and anterior cerebral arteries were also abnormal. Other risk factors for stroke were absent Conclusions: It is suggested that pituitary irradiation increases the risk of subsequent stroke due to the known effects of ionizing radiation on vascular walls. (Stroke 1992^3:908-911) KEY WORDS • arteriosclerosis • cerebrovascular disorders • pituitary gland • radiation effects

Tortuosity of the White Matter Medullary Arterioles Is Related to the Severity of Hypertension

“…Because of possible artifacts involving the small arteries or arterioles in the brain, we excluded 127 patients who died while on respirator [10,11], who died of chronic respiratory failure [12,13], or of anoxic or hypoxic encephalopathy [14][15][16] and who had received brain irradiation [17][18][19]. Patients who had hemispheric brain herniation were also excluded due to poor anatomical orientation.…”

Cerebral Infarction with ICA Occlusion after Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Pituitary Adenoma: A Case Report

“…Pituitary insufficiency, visual dysfunction, dysfunction of the cranial nerves in the cavernous sinus, and vascular complications occasionally follow irradiation of pituitary tumors [1].…”

Repeated Delayed Onset Cerebellar Radiation Injuries After Linear Accelerator-Based Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Vestibular Schwannoma

“…Extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis after irradiation for head and neck cancer, moyamoya syndrome after cranial irradiation, and radiation-induced stroke in pediatric cancer survivors are well recognized. 3) In addition, perforator strokes attributable to conventional irradiation have been reported with various radiation doses, 23) with cases occurring after 50 Gy over 2 months, 35.6 Gy over 35 days, 5) 50 Gy over 5 weeks, 14) and 49 Gy. 24) Atherosclerosis may also be accelerated by irradiation, causing subsequent stroke.…”