Radiation myelopathy.

Five cases of radiation myelopathy were found in a total of 10,000 cases given radiotherapy from 1968 to 1977. The clinical presentation and treatment details including the total dose, treatment volume, number of fractionations, overall time, and the RET value at the spinal cord were calculated and compared with other reports on this subject. The total number of fractionations ranged from 20 to 26 with an overall time of 32 days to 37 days. The dose received by four patients ranged from 1030 to 1900 RET, a little higher than the tolerance level of the spinal cord as compared to reported values. Two patients in this series had high blood pressure. The incidence of radiation myelopathy, already acceptably low, could possibly be reduced further by meticulous planning of radiation.