DOI: 10.36347/sasjs

Pages: 46-52

Carcinoma of the colon and rectum is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. Prognosis of patients with colorectal carcinoma is dependent on the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis. The depth of wall invasion and the presence of lymph node and distant metastases are the major factors that influence prognosis. Accurate preoperative staging is essential for the planning of optimal therapy. Computed tomography (CT) is a recognized method for pre- and postoperative staging of rectal carcinoma. Preoperative CT is useful for planning surgery or radiation therapy, particularly when local extension of tumor into adjacent organs or distant metastases are detected. In addition, preoperative CT pro vides baseline findings for comparison during the postoperative period and is the modality of choice for detection of local recurrence after surgical resection.