title: Comparison of plain radiographs and computed tomographic scanning in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
abstract: Plain radiographs, computed tomographic (CT) scans and clinical records of 100 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were studied. CT scans and plain radiographs provided similar information in 46 patients. There were 54 cases in which the two techniques disagreed. In 45 cases CT demonstrated abnormalities not seen in plain radiographs and in nine cases plain radiographs demonstrated abnormalities not seen with CT scanning. Based on the total information gained from clinical examination, the imaging investigations, biopsies, and subsequent clinical course and investigations it appeared that none of the abnormalities predicted by plain radiographs alone could be substantiated. Conversely the CT abnormalities could be supported as being correct. We conclude that CT alone is the undoubted investigation of choice where this is available. Plain films provide less information, are unreliable and, where CT is available, superfluous.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waldron
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kreel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Metreweli
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Van Hasselt
mesh_terms: D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed