[Chronic radiation enteritis. II. General consequences and prognostic factors].

We have studied 54 patients (age 19-83 years) with radiological and/or operative evidence of small bowel radiation injury, in order to assess clinical and biological features, final outcome, and prognostic factors of late radiation enteropathy; 23 of them had undergone previous small-intestinal by-pass or resection. During initial treatment (first 6 months), the patients received symptomatic medical treatment and 17 had a 3-6 week continuous enteral alimentation; 15 were operated on. At entry, 51 out of 54 complained of diarrhea, 32 had repeated vomiting and abdominal pain, 43 were undernourished (36 had lost more than 20 p. 100 of their normal weight, 27 had profound anorexia, 29 had hypo-albuminemia of less than 30 milligrams). Anemia was present in 30 patients. Seventy six and 88 p. 100, respectively, had hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia, with clinical symptoms in 14 cases. Fourteen patients, 12 of whom had undergone intestinal by-pass or resection, had biological hepatic abnormalities. Six patients died during initial treatment and 5 during follow-up; the actuarial survival rate was 72 p. 100 at four years (65 p. 100 for the unoperated patients, and 79 p. 100 for those previously operated on). Carcinoma was the cause of death in 5 cases. Social activity and state of nutrition were satisfactory in 22 out of the 32 patients seen in 1982 with 6-96 months (mean 29 months) follow-up.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)