[Computerized tomography in the staging of bronchogenic carcinoma. Critical evaluation of 91 cases]

In reviewing 91 cases of bronchogenic carcinoma, traditional radiology (TR) and CT patterns were compared versus surgical/pathologic findings. CT always gave clearer assessment of the mediastinum and thoracic wall invasion. In the evaluation of metastatic spread to hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes the false negative rate was higher with TR than with CT; on the other hand, there was a higher false positive rate with CT. The advantage of CT in the staging of bronchogenic carcinoma is verified and a rationalized flow-chart which includes TR, endoscopy, CT and mediastinoscopy is suggested.