Comparison Study Between MR And CT In The Diagnosis Of Patients With Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma

Objective To evaluate the delineation of hypopharyngeal carcinoma and its surrounding anatomic structures in MR plain scan and CT enhanced scan and to investigate the diagnostic value of MR to hypopharyngeal carcinoma.Material and Methods Twenty-two patients with clinically definite hypopharyngeal carcinoma were examined with MR plain scan and spiral CT enhanced scan.The delineation and staging of the tumor with the two methods were analyzed and the comparison between MR,CT and postoperative pathology was conducted.Results Compared with spiral CT enhanced scan,MR was similar to spiral CT enhanced scan in the delineation of space(paralaryngeal space and preepiglottic space) (MR n = 18,CT n = 15),encroachment of laryngeal cartilage(MR n = 10,CT n = 8 ), metastatic lymph nodes(MR n= 12,CT n= 10)(P＞0.05).MR plain scan was superior to spiral CT enhanced scan in the delineation of the adipose layer in paries of postcricoid area(MR n=9,CT n=3)(P＜0.05).The accuracy of the former was 90%and that of the latter was 82%in the tumor(T) staging respectively(P＞0.05).Conclusion MR plain scan was similar to spiral CT enhanced scan in the delineation of hypopharyngeal carcinoma and its surrounding anatomic structures,their T stages was similar to T stages of pathology.MR was superior in the delineation of the adipose layer in paries of postcricoid area.In spite of superiority of MR,there is an obvious disparity between MR and clinic as well as pathology.