Computerized tomography scan for diagnosis and staging of renal cell carcinoma.

A comparison of computerized tomography and arteriography for the diagnosis and staging of renal cell carcinoma was done in 45 patients during a 2-year interval. Compared to arteriography, computerized tomography was more accurate in the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (95 versus 85 per cent), equivalent in the determination of renal vein involvement and superior in the determination of regional nodal involvement. Because of the increased diagnostic accuracy, better delineation of the local extent of the tumor and less invasive nature we recommend computerized tomography as the preferred procedure for diagnosis and staging of renal cell carcinoma. However, in patients with questionable findings arteriography and/or inferior venacavography should be used as complementary studies.