Cross-sectional nodal atlas: a tool for the definition of clinical target volumes in three-dimensional radiation therapy planning.

Virtual three-dimensional clinical target volume definition requires the identification of areas suspected of containing microscopic disease (frequently related to nodal stations) on a set of computed tomographic (CT) images, rather than the traditional approach based on anatomic landmarks. This atlas displays the clinically relevant nodal stations and their correlation with normal lymphatic pathways on a set of CT images.