Superior sulcus tumors: CT and MR imaging

Thirty-one patients with superior pulmonary sulcus tumors underwent a total of 32 sets of computed tomographic (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examinations before receiving therapy. Prospective, independent, and blinded interpretations of the studies were compared with both the surgical findings (15 patients) and the patient's clinical symptoms (17 patients). Thin-section (5-mm) coronal and sagittal MR images proved more accurate than CT scans (.94 accuracy with MR imaging, .63 with CT) in evaluation of tumor invasion through the superior sulcus. The improved accuracy of MR imaging in this region appears almost certainly to be related to the improved display of the anatomy of the superior sulcus on thin-section coronal and sagittal images.