[Roentgenologically wasted time in bronchial carcinoma -a review (author's transl)]

The importance of roentgenologically wasted time, its frequency, causes and relation to specific characteristics of bronchial carcinoma are discussed in details along the literature. A short casuistic will show the actuality of the problem. There may be gained some important conclusions from the literature, but the differences in methods and the missing security in some definitions don't allow reliable answers to some detailproblems. The following conclusion could be derived from literature: 1. The roentgenologically protracted rate amounts to more than 30% on average. It decreases with increasing in experience of the readers of fluorographies. But even among them in the part of protracted cases amounts up to 10%. 2. Late protracted roentgenologic roentgenologic diagnosis is caused by -overlooking minimal lesions, -false algorithm in diagnostic procedure, -false diagnosis, -inadequate techniques, -the misinterpretation of developing malign lesion on the basis of existing alterations aetiologically known, -the delay on the patient's part. 3. The most important cause of all protracted x-ray findings is misinterpreted obstructive pneumonitis; it is followed by parenchymal cloudy densities, by striped atelectasis, old tuberculous processes, peripheral coin lesions and hilus alterations. 4. The time roentgenologically wasted is differing in wide range up to some years. 5. With increasing wasted time the portion of central tumors is also rising. 6. Even in patients considered as radically resected there exists still a negative correlation between the roentgenologically wasted time and prognosis. 7. The average of wasted time in x-ray lesions is running parallel to the screening intervals. 8. There seem to exist some differences between the different histological types in view of the roentgenologically wasted time. 9. There are no correlations between the age of the patients and the roentgenologically wasted time.