Geometry of volumes in radiotherapy planning. A new method for a quantitative assessment.

The purpose of the study was to develop a general method able to quantify the mutual disposition in the 3D space of critical organs with respect to the target when these structures are designed for a radiotherapy treatment plan. To that end, we introduce the "expansion intersection histogram", a function defined as the intersection between an organ at risk and the target volume, while the target is expanded in 3D.A software was developed to...