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Published on: July 3, 2014
Imaging of the Chest After Radiotherapy and Potential Pitfalls
Marcelo F Benveniste1, Sonia L Betancourt Cuellar1, Gilberto Szarf2
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
Abstract:
Radiotherapy is one of the cornerstones for the treatment of thoracic malignancies. The goal of radiotherapy is to deliver maximal dose to the tumor while minimizing damage to surrounding normal anatomical structures. Although advances in radiotherapy technology have considerably improved radiation delivery, potential adverse effects are still common. Post radiation changes to the chest may include different structures such as the lung, heart, great vessels, and esophagus. The purpose of this manuscript is to illustrate the post radiotherapy changes to these anatomical structures resulting from external beam radiotherapy, as well as discuss imaging pitfalls to prevent radiologist's interpretation errors.
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