| Due to successes in the use of beta particles from 90Sr/ 90Y in intracoronary brachytherapy, postoperative irradiation of pterygia, and other advantageous results of irradiating benign tumors and diseases, a new use for the 90Sr/90Y ophthalmologic applicator has been hypothesized: the use of beta radiation for the prevention of abdominal adhesions. The potential radiative treatment of adhesions can be correlated to the existing treatments to prevent keloid regeneration and coronary restenosis. All three abnormalities have similarities to scar tissue: adhesions are fibrous bands of scar tissue that can form after surgery or other trauma; keloids result from a localized overproduction of scar tissue; and restenosis is caused by the proliferation of smooth muscle cells after cardiovascular vessel wall injury (similar to scar formation). It is likely that radiation could reduce the growth factor and prevent the development of adhesions similar to the manner in which radiation is currently used to treat restenosis and keloids.; The objective of this research is to describe the theory behind the assertion that 90Sr/90Y will aid in the prevention of abdominal adhesions and to demonstrate experimentally the feasibility of this treatment in the rat model. To promote this investigation of the applicability of radiation, a custom-designed polystyrene phantom was fabricated and utilized for determination of requisite treatment times and the dose deposited with depth. This data was employed to determine the necessary treatment parameters and to create the treatment model. Once these parameters had been delineated, potential adhesion sites were produced in the abdomen of the rat, some of which were irradiated via a handheld 90Sr/90Y applicator. After a post-surgical recovery period of 10 days, the animals were euthanized and the injured areas analyzed for efficacy of treatment.; The intent of this project is to prevent adhesions through precise, focal application of beta-radiation to the abdomen in female Wistar rats. The administration of 90Sr/90Y radiation to these subjects was effective in the reduction in the quantity and severity of abdominal adhesion formations. The results from the approach established in this research provide a potential alternative for the prevention of abdominal adhesions in the murine model. |
