Imaging of Cerebral Radionecrosis: Collateral Damage from Head and Neck Radiation
Head and neck malignancies are often treated by external beam radiation therapy, either alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. Because of the proximity of head and neck malignancies to brain parenchyma, it is often impossible to exclude neuronal tissue from the radiation
field. Because neuronal tissue is sensitive to high-dose radiation, brain injury may be evident on posttreatment imaging studies. The goal of this article was to present the typical appearance and the pitfalls of brain injury that occur with external beam radiation therapy for head and neck
malignancies. The contribution of advanced imaging modalities, such as susceptibility-weighted imaging, MR perfusion, and MR spectroscopy, are discussed.
Learning Objective: Recognize typical imaging patterns as well as advanced imaging features of radiation-induced brain injury after radiation therapy for head and neck malignancies.
Learning Objective: Recognize typical imaging patterns as well as advanced imaging features of radiation-induced brain injury after radiation therapy for head and neck malignancies.
Keywords: DSC = dynamic susceptibility contrast; FLAIR = fluid attenuated inversion recovery; MRS = magnetic resonance spectroscopy; SWI = susceptibility-weighted imaging
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: May 1, 2016
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