ABSTRACT
The preoperative evaluation of pelvic floor tumors varies considerably depending upon the histology of the tumor being evaluated. In some cases (especially anal canal and some anal margin tumors) operative management may not be a part of the treatment plan. In other cases, appropriate evaluation may play an important role in determining if there is a role for surgery and, if so, defining what that role should be or what operation should be employed. The purpose of this review is to discuss the various options available for that evaluation. These include plain films of the pelvis, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), contrast studies, ultrasonography, and the do's and don'ts of biopsy. The applications to individual tumors are left to the discussion in the articles that follow.
KEYWORD
Pelvic tumors - evaluation - radiography - magnetic resonance imaging - computed tomography
