Abstract: Objective: To explore the value of preoperative CT and MRI exams for detection of aortic invasion in esophageal carcinoma. Methods: Thirty-two cases with histological diagnosis of esophageal carcinoma underwent preoperative CT scans examination and analysis, 14 with MRI, with the Included Angle Method and Triangular Method, and they were compared preoperative CT and MRIscans with operations and postoperative pathohistological findings. Results: According to the criterionof Included Angle Method and Triangular Method, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of CT for the32 cases were 75.00%, 87.50% and 84.36%, respectively; according to the MRI of the 14 cases, thesensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 80.00%, 88.89% and 85.71%, respectively. Conclusion: Thevalue of CT and MRI to detect esophageal carcinoma invasion aorta is very high.