Lumbo-Sacral Radiculopathy Induced by Radiation

Abstract

Two patients had lumbosacral radiculopathy following radiation treatment of cancer. Twenty previously reported cases were similar. The clinical picture is one of progressive motor and sensory loss in the legs, usually appearing within a year after radiation, but sometimes delayed up to several years. Experimental studies quoted indicate greater vulnerability of peripheral nerves to ionizing radiation than has been previously recognized. Lumbo-sacral radiculopathy is readily produced in the experimental animal (rat) and affords an experimental model closely resembling the human cases reported. © 1977, Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation. All rights reserved.