A new method to display the three dimensional dose distribution for tubular organs

Puroose: Conventional dose-volume-histograms (DVH's) lack spatial data, For tubular structures (e.g., esophagus and rectum) where the spatial aspects of the dose distribution are likely important in determining the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), conventional DVH's might not be an appropriate way to reduce the 3D dose data.We herein describe a new method to display the 3D dose data reflecting both its longitudinal and circumferential distributions.