Multi-dimensional treatment planning: I. Delineation of anatomy

We discuss the scope of a multi-dimensional treatment program designed to assist in planning radiation therapy. It includes: synthesis of diagnostic information; techniques for the assessment and delineation of anatomy; fully three-dimensional simulation of therapy; calculation and assessment of dose distributions; verification of treatment delivery; and assessment of the patient during and after treatment. In this paper we present details of techniques for the assessment and delineation of anatomy, including the display of CT information in three dimensions and the ability to draw on and edit the image displays.