[Value of computer tomography in the diagnosis and development of rectal cancer]

The accuracy of CT in staging rectal carcinoma was examined on the basis of 172 preoperative CT-examinations of the pelvis. Especially in cases of advanced tumours CT was found to be superior to clinical staging as defined by Mason, except for low ventral tumour localisation. On the other hand, routine staging by CT is not justified because mesenteric lymph node metastases cannot sufficiently be predicted. The value of various diagnostic methods in detecting local recurrences was determined in 295 other patients after radical resection of the rectosigmoid due to carcinoma. Recommendations for effective follow-up studies of those patients are based on these results.