Radiotherapy-related axillary arteriopathy.

Treatment of breast cancer involves surgery, then perhaps radiation, hormonal or chemotherapy. Radiation-induced arterial injury is a well-known entity that represents a rare cause of arterial occlusion. We present the case of a 76-year old woman who complained of a severe intermittent claudication of the right upper limb. Twenty years before, she underwent a right-sided radical mastectomy followed by intense radiation therapy for several weeks. The patient was found to suffer of a radiotherapy-related axillary artery thrombosis and was successfully treated by angioplasty and stenting.

[1]  F. Mercier.  Sténoses artérielles d'origine radique , 2009 .

[2]  M. Pech,et al.  Massive arm necrosis as a result of a subclavian artery occlusion after mastectomy and radiotherapy , 2008, European Journal of Plastic Surgery.

[3]  T. Cheatle,et al.  Radiotherapy-Related Axillary Artery Occlusive Disease: Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty and Stenting. Two Case Reports and Review of the Literature , 2006, CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology.

[4]  R. Hassen-Khodja,et al.  Radiotherapy-induced supra-aortic trunk disease: early and long-term results of surgical and endovascular reconstruction. , 2004, Journal of vascular surgery.

[5]  C. Gautier,et al.  [Post-irradiation axillo-subclavian arteriopathy: surgical revascularization]. , 2001, Journal des maladies vasculaires.

[6]  P. Desgranges,et al.  Management of radiation-induced occlusive arterial disease: a reassessment. , 1997, The Journal of cardiovascular surgery.

[7]  J. Gaux,et al.  Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for emboligenic arterial lesions after radiotherapy of axillary arteries. , 1995, Journal of vascular surgery.

[8]  P. Gaines,et al.  Percutaneous intervention for radiation damage to axillary arteries. , 1994, Clinical radiology.

[9]  A. Kuten,et al.  Subclavian artery occlusion after radiotherapy for carcinoma of the breast , 1988, Cancer.

[10]  S. Atlas,et al.  Radiation injury to the axillary artery presenting as distal thromboembolism. , 1984, AJR. American journal of roentgenology.

[11]  J. Kurtzberg,et al.  Two Case Reports and Review of the Literature , 1987 .