[Diagnosis of bronchial carcinoma]

In addition to conventional chest X-rays in AP and lateral projection, computed tomography of the chest, upper abdomen, and head, precutaneous ultrasonography of the abdomen, and bone scintigraphy represent the standard procedures for the primary diagnosis and staging of bronchial carcinoma. Magnetic resonance imaging should be reserved for special situations and patients with allergy to i.v. contrast medium. The clinical value of positron emission tomography (PET) primarily with respect to lymph-node staging is currently being evaluated in ongoing studies. Due to the high sensitivity of the listed staging modalities in combination with rather low specificity, there is a general tendency towards "over staging", which carries certain risk particularly for potentially operable patients. Consequently the criteria which indicate inoperability (T3, T4, N2, N3 and, in individual cases, M1) have to be confirmed histologically by biopsy employing interventional techniques or even by explorative thoracotomy before definite therapeutic decisions are made.