Insuficiencia cardíaca y enfermedad valvular asociadas a radioterapia

Summary Heart failure and valve disease associated to radiotherapy Radiotherapy used to treatment of cancer can cause injuries in all structures of the heart, and is a cardiovascular risk factor that interferes with the life expectancy of these patients. The valve disease induced by radiation therapy is dose-dependent, affects most often the mitral and aortic valves. The diagnosis is made by radiotherapy prior mediastinal and echocardiographic findings as thickening of the mitral-aortic curtain. We report the case of a woman who was exposed for 30 years to radiotherapy because the left breast and after 20 years had aortic valve disease and coronary artery disease that required valve replacement and coronary artery bypass surgery. She was readmitted with decompensated heart failure in functional class IV of the New York Heart Association. Patients with valve disease induced by radiotherapy need a control of traditional risk factors and a long-term follow.