Summary
The oedematous changes in the cerebral cortex of rats after acute irradiation are described. The importance of these changes in the over-all injury is discussed. Swelling and rupture of clear glial cells without expansion of the extracellular space are seen during the early phases of injury. Not all of the clear glia become swollen, but those that do eventually undergo complete dissolution, initiating small foci of severe damage. The necrosis that ultimately encompasses the entire irradiated field may spread from these initial sites of injury. Clear glial cells that do not undergo swelling show an unusual type of reaction before they become necrotic.
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Dedicated to Professor Friedrich Wassermann with admiration and affection on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
This work was supported by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and formed a part of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the faculty of the Graduate School of Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois.
The author wishes to express his indebtedness to Dr. F. Wassermann of Argonne National Laboratory, and Dr. D. S. Jones of Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University, for their advice and guidance during the course of this study.
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McDonald, T.F. The importance of oedema in acute radiation injury to the cerebral cortex of rats: An electron microscope study. Z.Zellforsch 64, 119–128 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00339191
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00339191