Bladder cancer

The major goals for an appropriate imaging strategy thus are first to refine the preoperative assessment of local tumor extension, with particular attention to invasion of the adjacent perivesical fat or the nearby visceral structures. Second, a clinically useful imaging method should be able to provide information regarding the presence of metastatic disease. Thus, evaluation of the status of regional lymph node chains assumes paramount importance. Computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography (US), angiography, and lymphangiography all have been used for this purpose. To date, no single imaging techniques has successfully met the goals described. Each method is discussed separately in a section on imaging and assessment in an effort to evaluate their individual strengths and weaknesses