Abstract
A patient developed a cervical myelopathy 20 months after radiotherapy for a carcinoma of the larynx. MRI showed an intramedullary lesion at C7. Although radiation myelopathy was suspected, tumour recurrence could not be excluded. A radiation-induced pharyngocutaneous fistula, confirmed histologically, appeared a month later. The fistula lay just anterior to the level of the spinal cord lesion, a finding useful in supporting a diagnosis of simultaneous radiation myelopathy.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Pallis CA, Louis S, Morgan RL (1961) Radiation myelopathy. Brain 84: 460–479
Johansen LV, Overgaard J, Elbrond O (1988) Pharyngo-cutaneous fistulae after laryngectomy. Influence of previous radiotherapy and prophylactic metronidazole. Cancer 61: 673–678
Ojeda VJ (1984) Necrotizing myelopathy associated with malignancy. A clinicopathologic study of two cases and literature review. Cancer 53: 1115–1123
Post MJD, Quencer RM, Green BA, et al (1987) Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis, mainly of nonneurogenic origin. AJNR 8: 339–346
Wang PY, Shen WC, Jan JS (1992) MR imaging in radiation myelopathy. AJNR 13: 1049–1055
Melki PS, Halimi P, Wibault P, Masnou P, Doyon D (1994) MRI in chronic progressive radiation myelopathy. J Comput Assist Tomogr 18: 1–6
Martin D, Delacollette M, Collignon J, et al (1994) Radiation-induced myelopathy and vertrebral necrosis. Neuroradiology 36: 405–407
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Combarros, O., Iglesias, F., Guitera, M.V. et al. MRI in radiation-induced myelopathy and pharyngocutaneous fistula. Neuroradiology 38 (Suppl 1), S130–S132 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02278140
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02278140