title: Accuracy of colon tumor localization: Computed tomography scanning as a complement to colonoscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the utility of computed tomography (CT) scanning in localizing colon tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  At a single tertiary care teaching hospital, a retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who underwent surgery for colon malignancies between January 2004 and May 2006. One hundred and four charts containing all of the following data were reviewed: preoperative colonoscopy report, preoperative CT report, surgical operative report, tumor pathology report. The colon was divided into five segments from the cecum to the sigmoid and the location of the lesions was categorized into one of these areas. The tumor location was considered "erroneous" if its location determined during surgery differed from the location determined by colonoscopy or CT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over all, tumor location was accurately determined via colonoscopy in 83/104 cases (79.8%) and erroneously in 21/104 (20.2%) of cases. CT scan accurately localized colon tumors in 52/104 (50.0%) of cases, incorrectly localized tumors in 18/104 (17.3%) of cases, and did not detect known tumors in 34/104 (32.7%) of cases. Of the 21 tumors erroneously located by colonoscopy, 11 (52.4%) were accurately localized by CT scan. The average tumor size for all patients in this study was 5.72 (+/- 3.11) cm. The average size of tumors properly located by colonoscopy and CT was 5.39 (+/- 3.34) cm and 6.79 (+/- 3.48) cm, respectively. The average size of the tumors not detected by CT was 3.98 (+/- 1.75) cm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CT scanning may be used in concert with colonoscopy to help localize colon tumors.
authors.affiliation: Jessica Lee, Anthony Voytovich, William Pennoyer, Kristy Thurston, Robert A Kozol, John Dempsey Hospital, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT 06032, United State; St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT 06105, United State.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Voytovich
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pennoyer
authors.forename: Kristy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thurston
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kozol