[Computerised tomography of the trunk-a first report (author's transl)].

One thousand patients have been examined with the body scanner and a preliminary report is presented on the value of this method in the examination of abdomen and the thorax. Unlike other radiological procedures, computerised tomography is often able to demonstrate disease states directly and not only as a result of their effect on neighbouring structures. It provides a non-invasive means for achieving a diagnosis, for therapy planning and for control of treatment of space-occupying lesions within the trunk. Its role can only be defined after a systematic comparision with conventional diagnostic procedures.