Pre- and postoperative abdominal examinations in testicular carcinoma

The histopathologic findings at retroperitoneal lymph node excision in 29 patients with a non-seminomatous germ cell tumour were compared with the findings at preoperative computed tomography, ultrasound and lymphography. The possibilities of detecting retroperitoneal metastases are somewhat greater with computed tomography than with lymphography. In the present material ultrasound was less reliable than computed tomography for demonstrating small metastases. At postoperative follow-up, in more than half of the patients computed tomography could not discriminate benign postoperative abnormalities from recurrent tumours. Ultrasound seemed to be a more reliable method for postoperative evaluation of the retroperitoneal space.