Reconsideration of conventional tomography versus computerized tomography in the evaluation of lung metastases

Several published reports compare linear chest tomography to computerized chest tomography regarding the detection of lung metastases in adults. As linear tomography does not result in a sectional image, a study comparing multidirectional tomography to computed tomography in the chest was carried out. Equal sensitivity and specificity of these two modalities is shown by reviewing 28 cases who had known extrathoracic malignancies prospectively. The currently prevailing impression that computerized tomography is superior in the detection of lung metastases is thus not justified.