[Tomodensitometry imaging and MRI of primary lung cancers]

Accurate determination of the extent of lung cancer is essential to decide on its surgical treatment and to evaluate its prognosis. Modern medical imaging is there to spare the patients an unnecessary thoracotomy, knowing that the only satisfactory treatment is surgical resection. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are part of the preoperative evaluation, side by side with the patient's general condition, his cardiovascular and respiratory status and the histological type of his tumor. It seems rational to ask for these imaging methods for all tumors seemed to be operable after radiology and fibroscopy, except perhaps, for some authors, in cases of peripheral T1 NO tumors not in contact with the chest wall. CT remains the reference examination for preoperative evaluation of lung cancer extension, provided it is performed with technical rigor and is interpreted on the basis of strict criteria. The opposition of MRI in this field has not yet been definitely established, largely because of possible improvements of this new method in the years to come. In certain cases, it seems to be a useful complement to CT or even a possible alternative to this examination.