The Effect of Radiation Therapy on the Healing Ability of Subsequent Surgical Wounds / 대한치료방사선과학회지

ABSTRACT

This study was undertaken to find the effect of radiation therapy on the healing ability of surgical wounds and on this basis, to find the proper time interval between the radiation therapy and surgery. Two hundred and fifty-two mice were used and a single dose of 2000 cGy was given in each instances to the hind limb of mice. Incisional wounds were produced after varying intervals in the previously irradiated areas and then they were followed up at regular intervals by the measurement of tensile strength. The wounds which received surgery immediately, 1 or 2 weeks after irradiation revealed marked delay and the wounds which received surgery 12.16 or 20 weeks after irradiation demonstrated slight delay in wound healing in terms of tensile strength measurement. But the wounds which received irradiation 4 or 8 weeks before surgery did not differ much in the wound healing process from that of the control group. Histopathologic studies of the wounds demonstrated epithelization in most instances as quickly as in the control wounds. The appearance of fibroblasts and collagen fibers has delayed momently and appeared to have close correlation with the tensile strength healing curves.