[The value of body tomodensitometry for diagnosis in pneumology]

The authors present a preliminary work on 37 pulmonary tomodensitometry performed on 18 bronchial cancers, 7 pleuro-pulmonary metastases, 4 normal lungs and 8 various respiratory diseases. This method presents a double advantage:--first it localizes the affection in relation to pleura, mediastinum or heart; specially interesting in case of a transparietal puncture in carcinology;--secondly, densitometry enables a differentiation between dense tumoral tissue and ventilatory disorders or pleurisy; it is also useful in determining the tumoral target volume. Finally this new technique can show air cavities (emphysema, tuberculous or cancerous caverns) as well as pleurisies of small volume.