Preoperative staging of breast carcinoma with thoracic CT

This paper reports on a study performed to determine whether thoracic CT yielded useful information regarding the status of the axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast carcinoma. Thirty -five consecutive patients with clinically suspected stage II or III breast carcinomas were scanned preoperatively from the supraclavicular regions to the lung bases. Axillary lymph nodes measuring 1 cm or larger were considered abnormal. The lymph nodes were classified according to their relationship to the pectoralis minor muscles. Extracapsular lymph node involvement was diagnosed when there was irregularity and speculation of the lymph node margin with surrounding fatty infiltration. Twenty of these patents underwent axillary dissection. Pathologic, physical examination, and CT findings were then correlated