Lymphangiography as an aid in staging bladder carcinoma.

Eighty patients with histologically proven carcinoma of the urinary bladder had pedal lymphangiography as part of their assessment for metastatic disease. Results were correlated with surgical findings within three months of the lymphangiographic interpretation in 49 patients. There were no false-positive lymphangiograms, and only five (10%) false-negative readings were recorded. The finding of positive lymphangiograms in 9% of patients with stage B disease, 16% of patients with stage C disease, and 57% of patients with a fixation of the tumor to the pelvic or abdominal wall emphasizes the value of the procedure in limiting unnecessary surgical exploration.