[Radiologic diagnosis and preoperative staging of esophageal cancer]

For the treatment of esophageal carcinoma it is important to determine the length and depth of the spread. On the basis of comparable, reproducible studies the classification can be defined, which differs in Western countries from that in Japan. Conventional radiological methods such as upper-GI studies with barium sulfate and more advanced methods such as CT, echoendoscopy and MRI are discussed regarding their possibilities and limits.