RADIATION PNEUMONITIS COMPLICATING MEDIASTINAL RADIOTHERAPY POSTPNEUMONECTOMY

Radiation pneumonitis is a well-characterized clinicopathological synd rome, The severity of radiation-induced lung injury correlates, among other factors, with the extent of lung volume incorporated within the field of radiation. The present article describes the cases of two pat ients with radiation pneumonitis following pneumonectomy and mediastin al radiotherapy, Postpneumonectomy pulmonary-mediastinal shift of the remaining lung towards the operated side, with inclusion of lung paren chyma within the ''mediastinal'' radiation portals, resulted in a subs tantial (albeit clinically unsuspected) radiation pneumonitis. Chest c omputed tomography in the postpneumonectomy patient may be helpful to evaluate the degree of pulmonary-mediastinal shift and optimization of the radiotherapy field.