title: [Role of computed tomography in the preoperative evaluation of patients with cancer of the thoracic esophagus].
abstract: In 126 patients with cancer of the thoracic esophagus who underwent esophagectomy, CT images were retrospectively reviewed and compared with the result of the histological examinations. With regard to N-factor diagnosis, different criteria of positive diagnosis must be taken for each location of lymph nodes. In ROC analysis it was shown that the preciseness of CT diagnosis was different according to the locations. CT was useful in the left paratracheal region, but on the other hand the diagnosis was not so excellent in the subcarinal and left tracheobronchial regions. As to A-factor, precise CT diagnosis was difficult except cases with massive infiltrative figures or those with a definite fat density split.
mesh_terms: D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed