Diagnostic accuracy of contrast enhanced computed tomography in detection of metastatic regional lymph nodes in gastric cancer patients

Nodal metastasis is an important parameter of prognosis of gastric cancer and in planning treatment strategy. CECT has evolved to be become one of most common imaging modalities for gastric cancer staging prior to surgery. Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of contrast enhanced computed tomography in preoperative detection of metastatic regional lymph nodes in gastric cancer patients keeping histopathology as gold standard. Study Design: Cross sectional study Setting: The Department of Radiology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Civil Hospital Karachi. Duration: From Jan 2017 To August 2017 Material and Methods: Total 81 patients of gastric cancer were included. CECT abdomen was performed. Histopathology results were followed. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy of computer enhanced CT scan were calculated. Stratification was done through chi-square test. P≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: There were 59 male and 23 female patients. Mean age was 53.09±9.98 years. Mean duration was 3.58±1.54 months. Mean lymph node size was 8.59±1.03 mm.. 53.1% cases were diagnosed with lymph nodes metastasis by contrast enhanced computed tomography and by histopathology it was 60.5%.Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy were 77.6%, 84.4%, 88.3%, 71%, and 80.2% respectively. Conclusion: The study indicated high diagnostic accuracy and negative predictive value of CECT in preoperative detection of metastatic lymph nodes in gastric cancer patients. (author)