CT demonstration of postpneumonectomy tumor recurrence

Seven patients with suspected recurrent tumor who had undergone pneumonectomy for carcinoma of the lung were studied by computed tomography (CT) to evaluate the location, extent, and nature of the tumor. In six patients with proven recurrence in the chest, CT demonstrated the tumor in five, four as a mass near the bronchial stump and one as a parasternal mass. (In one patient, surgical clip artifacts prevented interpretation). This information was useful in planning radiation therapy treatments in four patients.