[Comparative study of conventional CT and spiral CT in diagnosis of lung cancer]

To observe and compare the findings of lung cancer with conventional CT and spiral CT.

One hundred and thirty-four cases of pathologicalty confirmed lung cancer, including 56 centrally located and 78 peripherally located lung cancer, were examined by conventional CT and spiral CT, and their findings compared.

In 30 of the 56 cases with central lung cancer, the lesion was located in the right bronchus and in 26 of them the lesion was in the left bronchus. On spiral CT, the display rate of obstructive findings and invasion to big vessels in the mediastinum was higher than that on conventional CT. There was no remarkable difference in density of the lesion and detection of metastasis in hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes between conventional and spiral CT. In 34 of the 78 cases with peripheral lung cancer, the lesion was in the right lung and in 44 was the lesion in the left lung. Calcification, air-bronchogram, cavity and pleural indentation of the lesion in the peripheral lung cancer were better displayed by spiral than by conventional CT.

Spiral CT is superior to conventional CT in the observation of signs characteristic of central and peripheral lung cancers.