Diagnostic factor of N staging in rectal carcinoma: A computered tomography study corelated with pathological finding

Objective To investigate the characteristic findings in CT images associated with N-staging of rectal carcinoma. Methods Fifty nine patients underwent radical resection for rectal carcinoma after preoperative CT examinations. pN0, pN1, and pN2 were classified based on the pathological examination of excised specimens according to the AJCC N-staging criterion. Images were reviewed by two radiologists using CT cine blindly, reaching a consensus on size, number and distribution of lymph nodes, serosa behavior and circumferential infiltration of rectal carcinoma. The relationship between lymph node metastases and CT findings was analyzed statistically with SAS using k-w test and x~2 test.中国科学引文数据库(CSCD)4265-2694