The surgeon and oncologist plan from the report, so structure matters more than prose. A synoptic format makes it far less likely that a vascular or plexus finding is missed or misread.
Whatever template your department uses, these elements should appear every time.
- Tumour size, site and whether it is hypo- or iso-attenuating.
- Contact with the SMA, coeliac axis and common hepatic artery, in degrees of circumference.
- Contact with and any deformity of the SMV and portal vein, with length of involvement.
- Arterial variants that change the operation, such as a replaced right hepatic artery.
- Peripancreatic plexus stranding, suspicious nodes and any liver or peritoneal lesions.
Why it matters
Resectability decisions are made from the report, not the images, in many tumour boards.
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