Fig. 12
From: MRI anatomy of the rectum: key concepts important for rectal cancer staging and treatment planning
Overview of pelvic lymph node stations on MRI (a) with corresponding axial cross sections at the caudal (b), mid (c) and cranial (d) level. The mesorectal lymph nodes (Mes) in orange include all nodes in the mesorectal compartment, including the high mesorectal nodes that follow the superior rectal artery and vein towards the inferior mesenteric vein. The obturator nodes in green, are located dorsal from the external iliac vein and lateral from the lateral border of the main trunk of the internal iliac vessels, that separate the obturator (O) from the internal iliac (II) compartment in yellow. The external iliac nodes (EI) in blue are located alongside the external iliac vessels