Chronic Radiodermatitis Following Repeated Coronary Interventions in a Patient with Psoriasis: A Case Report

Fluoroscopy-induced radiodermatitis, whether acute or chronic, is a complication of fluoroscopy-guided cardiac diagnostic and interventional procedures. Repeated cardiac catheterization and coronary angioplasty procedures, prolonged exposure time and, radiation doses greater than 10-12 Gy are the culprits in the development of skin inflammation. Acute radiodermatitis usually develops within two weeks after the procedure and is easily recognized clinically, whereas the chronic form can have a long latent period of almost ten years. Clinical symptoms of chronic disease caused by excessive irradiation include atrophy, sclerosis, telangiectasia, pigmentary changes, ulceration, and even the development of malignant neoplasms. We describe a patient with a history of psoriasis in whom chronic radiodermatitis developed after six fluoroscopic cardiac procedures, and the diagnosis established approximately four years after the last catheterization.