[The significance of computerized tomography of the chest in the staging of bronchial carcinoma].

The value of thoracic computed tomography in the staging of non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma is evaluated. In 57 patients post thoracotomy and in 8 patients who had undergone mediastinoscopy, the preoperative T and N stages determined by CT were compared with the intraoperative stage. With respect to the T3 stage, 49 CT results out of a total of 57 were correct, 6 were false positive and 2 false negative. This corresponds to a sensitivity of 67% and a specificity of 88%. With respect to the N2 stage, 55 out of 65 results were correct, 8 were false positive and 2 false negative, corresponding to a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 84%. We conclude that in N2-negative CTs mediastinoscopy can be omitted, while in CT-positive patients histological verification appears to be necessary. The diagnosis of T3 should be carried out with caution: in doubtful cases surgical exploration is recommended.