A Study on Radiation Effect on Microvasculature of the Liver in Rat

Abstract

Microarigiography of rat liver was performed with arterial and venous infusion of barium solution to evaluate the vascular alterations in radiation injury of the liver in a total of 53 rats. Part of liver, right to midline, received a single dose of 2,000 rad using Co-60 teletherapy unit with field size of 4 x 4cm at 60cm SSD. The dose rate was 127.2 rads per minute. Microangiography was performed at, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks following irradiation. The results are as follows: 1. After irradiation, mieroangiographic findings of hepatic artery and portal vein were tortuosity, beaded appearance and narrowing of the lumen. And these findings appeared at 2 to 4 weeks after irradiation and progressed with lapse of time. 2. Hepatic vein showed no remarkable abnormality in microangiography. 3. Sinusoids showed slight widening and irregularity. These findings were present for the first 4 weeks and thereafter disappeared. 4. Microangiographic findings generally well corre-lated with histologic findings. 5. In conclusion, in radiation injury of rat liver with a single dose of 2,000rad, the principal changes were observed in hepatic artery and por-tal vein