Objective To evaluate the value of plain and dual-phasic enhanced 16-slice CT in the diagnosis and preoperative TNM staging of the gastric carcinoma,and to discuss the relationship between image signs and pathologic findings.Methods Fifty-three cases of the gastric carcinoma confirmed histopathologically underwent 16-slice CT examination.The scan protocol included plain scanning,the arterial phase and portal venous phase scanning.The manifestation of the three series images and multiplanar reconstruction(MPR) images were analyzed.Results ①The accuracies of 16-slice CT for the T stage,the N stage and the M stage of the gastric carcinoma were 83.02%,80.00% and 92.45% respectively.②The overall accuracy of 16-slice CT for judging TNM stage was 84.91%.Conclusion The plain scan and dual phase enhanced scans of 16-slice CT,especially the thin slice and MPR with proper windows technique are helpful for the diagnosis of gastric carcinoma and the TNM stage,which is useful for the selection of the operative project and the therapy plan.