Iliac and Femoral Arteriosclerosis Following Pelvic Irradiation for Carcinoma of the Ovary

Report of a Case

Abstract

A 49-year-old woman developed localized arteriosclerosis and vascular insufficiency of the iliac and femoral arteries following pelvic irradiation for carcinoma of the ovary. Based upon a brief review of the pertinent literature, it was thought that the patient's vascular lesions— calcium deposition in the proliferative fibrous intima with fragmentation and separation of the internal elastic lamina as well as clot formation within the vessels, adherent to the intimal surface without marginal organization— were similar to those produced in the arteries of certain experimental animals exposed to irradiation. The type of localized change, the age of the patient, and the normal cholesterol level support the belief that the vascular injury was sustained during irradiation.