VASORECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY FOR RADIATION-INDUCED VASCULOPATHY IN CHILDHOOD

BACKGROUND Cerebral vasculopathy associated with the appearance of net like vessels can develop following irradiation therapy for parasellar brain tumors, especially in children, However, little is known regardi ng the clinical course of this disease or the appropriate therapy for it. CASE REPORTS We experienced two surgically-treated patients with r adiation-induced vasculopathy and reviewed the previously reported cas es. Both of our patients were treated with encephalo-duro-arterio-myo- synangiosis combined with superficial temporal artery to middle cerebr al artery (STA-MCA) bypass. Their ischemic symptoms improved following the surgery, associated with a good angiographic neovascularization f rom the STA-MCA bypass, as well as dural and muscular arteries, CONCLU SION Our findings and the review of the previous reports suggested tha t surgical therapy may be beneficial for the patients with radiation-i nduced vasculopathy with the appearance of netlike vessels. (C) 1997 b y Elsevier Science Inc.