[Does radiosterilization of the vagina occur through therapeutic radiation dosages?]

The endogenous genital flora is a major source of infections of the female genital tract, especially in patients with cervical or endometrial cancer. Until recently the "radiosterilisation of the vagina", respectively a prophylactic and/or therapeutic effect of irradiation (external high voltage as well as intracavitary-radium) concerning infections was postulated in the literature. This theory was disproved in a prospective clinical and bacteriological study covering 48 patients with advanced cervical cancer undergoing primary intracavitary radium-irradiation and 38 patients with inoperable endometrical cancer, undergoing primary Iridium-192-afterloading. Following intracavitary radium for cervical cancer some typical nosocomial pathogens like Streptococcus faecalis, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus and Pseudomonas were isolated significantly more frequently than before treatment. Likewise, the mean number of aerobic bacterial species increased significantly after irradiation. Also primary Ir-192 (afterloading) irradiation did not alter the frequency of isolation of the resident flora in endometrial cancer patients. Therefore, "radiosterilisation" of the vagina as result of radiotherapy does not exist.