Essentiality of Imaging Diagnostic Criteria Specific to Rectal Neuroendocrine Tumors for Detecting Metastatic Lymph Nodes

BACKGROUND/AIM The present study aimed to clarify an accurate diagnostic method for lymph node metastasis (LN+) in rectal neuroendocrine tumors (rNETs). PATIENTS AND METHODS This was a retrospective study of 14 rNETs and 45 rectal adenocarcinoma patients undergoing rectal resection. The short axis of LNs was measured using CT and pathological findings (43 paraffin-fixed LNs in rNETs and 786 LNs in adenocarcinoma). RESULTS The size of LN+ in CT and pathological findings was smaller in rNETs than adenocarcinoma (p=0.082 and p