Comparison of Helical CT and CT Arterial Portography for Colorectal Liver Metastastes

Excerpt

The treatment of patients with colorectal liver metastases has undergone a dramatic evolution in the past 10 years. Surgeons have shown that liver resection can be performed safely1,2 and that even patients with multifocal metastatic disease may enjoy long-term disease-free survival.3 In spite of these developments, the optimal preoperative evaluation for patients with potentially respectable liver metastases has not been well defined. Schwartz and colleagues (DOI: 10.1007/s00268-005-0483-1) from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center focus on this question in their report. They compare the sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of helical computed tomography (CT) against the more invasive imaging modality of CT arterial portography (CTAP). …