Résumé
Objective To investigate the effect of radiotherapy on carotid plaque ulcer formation by using ultrasound imaging.Methods Totally 93 cases diagnosed with head and neck cancers which had complete carotid ultrasound data and other baseline data before and after radiotherapy (RT) were retrospectively enrolled.The total number of plaques,average intima-media thickness,maximum plaque area,total number of ulcer plaques,maximum ulcer plaque area and the maximum area of the ulcer pit were compared in RT side and non RT side before and after RT respectively.Results The average interval time was 6.1±1.9 years between twice RT.Before RT,there were no statistical differences between RT side and non-RT side in the total number of plaques,the average intima-media thickness,maximum plaque area,total number of ulcer plaques,maximum ulcer plaque area and maximum area of the ulcer pit.After RT,compared with those of non-RT side,there were more lesions of the total number of plaques,the thicker average intima-media thickness,the larger maximum plaque area,the more maximum number of ulcer plaques,the larger maximum ulcer plaque area and maximum area of the ulcer pit in RT side,which had statistical defference (all P＜0.05).Conclusion RT can lead to the formation and progression of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with head and neck cancers,and the plaque has a vulnerability characteristics.