Intraoperative radiation in the canine para-aortic abdomen

Twenty adult beagle dogs received intraoperatively delivered 6 MeV electrons to the para-aortic abdomen and bladder. The dogs were equally divided into 4 dose groups receiving 22 Gy, 30 Gy, 38.5 Gy and 47 Gy. The 5 cm x 8 cm radiation field included a variable portion of the left kidney, the left ureter, the abdominal aorta and vena cava, the base of the bladder and the left sciatic and femoral nerves. The lesions observed were fibroelastic proliferation of the aortic intima, severe renal atrophy and fibrosis, ureteral stenosis, bladder fibrosis and demyelinating peripheral neuropathies. Histologic, morphometric and dose response analyses are compared with responses of dogs receiving more conventional fractionated doses to a total of 60 Gy, 70 Gy or 80 Gy x-ray in 6 weeks