Carotid artery invasion by squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract: the predictive value of CT imaging.

Carotid artery invasion by squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract is a poor prognostic indicator and a relative indicator of tumour inoperability. A number of imaging modalities are available for detecting such invasion, but, because of its availability, computerised tomography (CT) is the usual modality. We have analysed the CT scans of 196 patients referred to the department with an upper aerodigestive tract squamous cell carcinoma. Comparing the scans with the operative findings indicates that CT scans significantly overestimate carotid artery invasion.