Table 1. The table of definitions for the nodal stations in the IASLC nodal map.
| Nodal station | Description | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| #1 (left/right) | Low cervical, supraclavicular and sternal notch nodes | Upper border: lower margin of cricoid cartilage |
| Lower border: clavicles bilaterally and, in the midline, the upper border of the manubrium, 1R designates right-sided nodes, 1L, left-sided nodes in this region | ||
| #L1 and #R1 limited by the midline of the trachea | ||
| #2 (left/right) | Upper paratracheal nodes | 2R: Upper border, apex of the right lung and pleural space and, in the midline, the upper border of the manubrium; Lower border, intersection of caudal margin of innominate vein with the trachea |
| 2L: Upper border, apex of the left lung and pleural space and, in the midline, the upper border of the manubrium; Lower border, superior border of the aortic arch | ||
| As for #4, in #2 the oncologic midline is along the left lateral border of the trachea | ||
| #3 | Pre-vascular and retrotracheal nodes | 3a: prevascular |
| On the right | ||
| Upper border: apex of chest | ||
| Lower border: level of carina | ||
| Anterior border: posterior aspect of sternum | ||
| Posterior border: anterior border of superior vena cava | ||
| On the left | ||
| Upper border: apex of chest | ||
| Lower border: level of carina | ||
| Anterior border: posterior aspect of sternum | ||
| Posterior border: left carotid artery | ||
| 3p: retrotracheal | ||
| Upper border: apex of chest | ||
| Lower border: carina | ||
| #4 (left/right) | Lower paratracheal nodes | 4R: includes right paratracheal nodes, and pretracheal nodes extending to the left lateral border of trachea |
| Upper border: intersection of caudal margin of innominate vein with the trachea | ||
| Lower border: lower border of azygos vein | ||
| 4L: includes nodes to the left of the left lateral border of the trachea, medial to the ligamentum arteriosum | ||
| Upper border: upper margin of the aortic arch | ||
| Lower border: upper rim of the left main pulmonary artery | ||
| #5 | Subaortic (aorto-pulmonary window) | Subaortic lymph nodes lateral to the ligamentum arteriosum |
| Upper border: the lower border of the aortic arch | ||
| Lower border: upper rim of the left main pulmonary artery | ||
| #6 | Para-aortic nodes (ascending aorta or phrenic) | Lymph nodes anterior and lateral to the ascending aorta and aortic arch |
| Upper border: a line tangential to the upper border of the aortic arch | ||
| Lower border: the lower border of the aortic arch | ||
| #7 | Subcarinal nodes | Upper border: the carina of the trachea |
| Lower border: the upper border of the lower lobe bronchus on the left; the lower border of the bronchus intermedius on the right | ||
| #8 (left/right) | Para-esophageal nodes (below carina) | Nodes lying adjacent to the wall of the esophagus and to the right or left of the midline, excluding subcarinal nodes |
| Upper border: the upper border of the lower lobe bronchus on the left; the lower border of the bronchus intermedius on the right | ||
| Lower border: the diaphragm | ||
| #9 (left/right) | Pulmonary ligament nodes | Nodes lying within the pulmonary ligament |
| Upper border: the inferior pulmonary vein | ||
| Lower border: the diaphragm | ||
| #10 (left/right) | Hilar nodes | Includes nodes immediately adjacent to the mainstem bronchus and hilar vessels including the proximal portions of the pulmonary veins and main pulmonary artery |
| Upper border: the lower rim of the azygos vein on the right; upper rim of the pulmonary artery on the left | ||
| Lower border: interlobar region bilaterally | ||
| #11 | Interlobar nodes | Between the origin of the lobar bronchi |
| #11s: between the upper lobe bronchus and bronchus intermedius on the right | ||
| #11i: between the middle and lower lobe bronchi on the right | ||
| Optional sub-categories | ||
| #12 | Lobar nodes | Adjacent to the lobar bronchi |
| #13 | Segmental nodes | Adjacent to the segmental bronchi |
| #14 | Sub-segmental nodes | Adjacent to the subsegmental bronchi |
Reprinted with permission of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Copyright ©2009, 2010 IASLC