To evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 18F-FDG, PET and CT were used for T and N stage for esophageal carcinoma, and explore the SUV value evaluating prognosis of esophageal carcinoma. PET and CT scan as well as T and N stage were carried out for 29 cases of preoperative esophageal carcinoma patients, those results were analyzed and compared with postoperative pathological TNM stage. CT scan diagnosis the T stage was obviously higher than PET in term of determining T staging, while PET scan diagnosis the N stage was higher than CT, but there was no significantly difference. It was clear that only the Kappa value of preoperative PET scan in T stage was poor (Kappa value, 0.4), the Kappa values for PET scan in N stage, as well as preoperative CT scan in T and N stage were good (Kappa value.0.4). The SUV values were increasing with the lesion volume and length of PETsuv2.5 becoming bigger. The survival was better when patients with SUV value, 9.0 than those with SUV value=9.0. CT was better than PET in term of determining clinical T stage of esophageal carcinoma, while PET diagnosis the N stage was good the same as CT. SUV 9.0 may be regarded as a practical indexes to determine prognosis in esophageal carcinoma. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.