[Spiral CT in the preoperative staging of colorectal carcinoma-radiologic-pathologic correlation].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate spiral CT (SCT) in the preoperative staging of colorectal carcinomas.

METHODS

Fifty-one patients suspicious of having colorectal carcinoma underwent spiral CT scans performed from the dome of the diaphragm to symphysis pubica after cleansing enema and rectal air insufflation. Fourty-one of the 51 patients were proved to have colorectal carcinoma by colonoscopy and/or pathology. The findings of SCT of 31 patients treated with surgery were compared with the surgical pathological examination for staging.

RESULTS

The overall accuracy rate of SCT staging was 58.1% (18/31). For evaluation of T staging and N staging, the accuracy rates were 84.4% (27/32) and 61.3% (19/31). Sensitivity and specificity for serosal infiltration were 92.9% (26/28) and 50.0%, They were 70.0% (14/20) and 81.8% (9/11) for lymph node involvement.

CONCLUSION

SCT scan, playing a significant role in the preoperative staging of colorectal carcinoma, is useful to detect the serosal infiltration, lymph node and distant metastasis.