[The value of radiometry in the treatment planning of inoperable carcinomas of the cervix (author's transl)].

A retrospective study of 731 patients with carcinoma of the cervix in various stages showed that recurrences were most common in patients treated with combined local radium application and irradiation of the parametrium. The basis for radiation treatment planning had been radiometry after the radium application. A comparison of the position of the uterus as shown by this method with computer tomography carried out in 40 patients in the position used for irradiation showed that in more than half these patients there was a significant difference in the results. It therefore appears that it is necessary to determine the position of the uterus by computer tomography in all patients if the applicator deviates from the median line by more than 10 degrees and if the parametrium is not fixed. Frequently it is possible, at an advanced stage, to use a rotational method instead of repeated radium applications.