PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of 0.5 %-methylcellulose as oral contrast agent in spiral CT examinationsfor the evaluation of anastomotic site and remnant stomach in patients who have undergone subtotal gastrectomy dueto stomach cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven patients who underwent subtotal gastrectomy for stomachcancer and were referred for the evaluation of anastomosis recurrence and lymph node metastasis wereprosepectively analyzed by spiral CT. They were divided into two groups: before scanning, group A patients drank0.5 %-methylcellulous 500ml as oral contrast agent, while those in group B drank diluted gastrografin 500ml. Threepatients were examined twice. Anatomic delineation of the anastomosis site was graded by two radiologists asexcellent (3), good (2), fair (1), or poor (0). To evaluate the degree of distension, maximal transverse andanterior-posterior diameter of remnant stomach and anastomotic sites were measured. RESULTS: In Group A, anatomicdelineation of the anastomotic site was very much better than in group B (mean score: 2.93 vs 1.80, p<0.05). Inaddition, the maximum diameters of remnant stomach and anastomotic site were significantly larger in group A thanin group B (transverse A-P remnant stomach and anastomosis site: 87.5 +/-14.7mm, 103.3 +/-20.1mm, 17.6 +/-2.9mm vs57.6 +/-20.1mm, 69.9 +/-3 5 . 0 m m , 10.7 +/-7 . 2 m m ) CONCLUSION: In patients who had undergone subtotalgastrectomy, the use of 0.5 %-methylcellulose as oral contrast agent for spiral CT showed excellent anatomicdelineation of the anastomotic site and distension of remnant stomach.