Computed tomography in the staging of gastrointestinal carcinoma.

In all areas of the gastrointestinal tract studied to date, CT can detect gastrointestinal neoplasia and accurately delineate both the local and distant extent of disease. Computed tomography can stage both primary and recurrent gastrointestinal neoplasms more accurately than any other method short of surgical exploration. In many cases, CT staging of a gastrointestinal neoplasm has lessened the need for exploratory surgery, reduced hospital stay, and permitted appropriate chemotherapy or radiation therapy to be instituted promptly and effectively. As more experience with CT in staging gastrointestinal neoplasms is accumulated, the value of CT will become more widely acknowledged.