Radiation-related myocardial injury. Management of two cases

Pericardial effusion and trifascicular block developed 5 years following mediastinal irradiation for Hodgkin's disease in a 19-year-old patient. Another 24-year-old patients had an acute myocardial infarction followed by severe angina pectoris 5 years following mediastinal irradiation for the same disease. A pericardial window and a permanent demand pacemaker were used in the first case; an aorto-coronary vein grafting was utilized in the second patient. Both patients responded to treatment and are well. Five other previously reported cases of myocardial injury that occurred 2 months to 8 years following mediastinal irradiation in young patients were reviewed. To our knowledge, successful surgical treatment of this disease entity has not been reported before. Close, long-term follow-up of patients who have received mediastinal irradiation should be helpful in the early recognition and successful management of these serious cardiac complications. The systematic clinical and radiographic surveilance of these patients should be supplemented by a routine 12-lead electrocardiogram.