Abstract: Method and apparatus are used to display a slice of tomographic image in a three-dimensional (3D) medical image, for the purpose of achieving better recognition of a vascular structure contained in the slice without degrading spatial resolution of the slice. An example method includes identifying a slice of interest in a 3D medical image representing an anatomical part including a blood vessel; and projecting along a slice axis direction orthogonal to the slice of interest for a region in the 3D medical image including the slice and wider than the slice.

Abstract: A display device configured to display an endoscopic image obtained by an endoscope for observing an object is provided. The display device includes a projecting unit configured to project coordinate axes set to the object onto the endoscopic image, and a display unit configured to display thereon the endoscopic image and the coordinate axes projected onto the endoscopic image.

Abstract: In displaying a tomographic image in a slice in a three-dimensional (3D) medical image, for the purpose of achieving better recognition of a vascular structure contained in the slice without degrading spatial resolution of the slice, there is provided an image processing apparatus comprising: identifying section for identifying a slice of interest in a 3D medical image representing an anatomical part including a blood vessel; and projecting section for applying projection processing to pixel values in a slice axis direction of the slice for a region in the 3D medical image including the slice and wider than a slice width of the slice.

Abstract: A display device configured to display an endoscopic image obtained by an endoscope for observing an object is provided. The display device includes a projecting unit configured to project coordinate axes set to the object onto the endoscopic image, and a display unit configured to display thereon the endoscopic image and the coordinate axes projected onto the endoscopic image.

Abstract: An image processing method for performing registration between a first medical image and a second medical image both being three-dimensional images is provided.

Abstract: In order to visualize a narrow blood vessel overlapping a thick blood vessel, at the time of performing a maximum intensity projection on three-dimensional image data, three-dimensional image data is weighted with a plurality of weighting functions of different attenuation characteristics along a projection line. Maximum intensity projections are performed on the plurality of pieces of the weighted three-dimensional image data, and results of all of the maximum intensity projections are summed. The weight of the weighting function is zero until the projection line reaches the surface of an image and, after the reach, gradually decreases from an initial value. Alternatively, the weight of the weighting function is zero to some midpoint of the projection line and, after the midpoint, gradually decreases from the initial value. The midpoint is adjustable. The attenuation characteristic is given by an exponential function. Parameters of the exponential function are adjustable.

Abstract: In order to visualize a narrow blood vessel overlapping a thick blood vessel, at the time of performing a maximum intensity projection on three-dimensional image data, three-dimensional image data is weighted with a plurality of weighting functions of different attenuation characteristics along a projection line. Maximum intensity projections are performed on the plurality of pieces of the weighted three-dimensional image data, and results of all of the maximum intensity projections are summed. The weight of the weighting function is zero until the projection line reaches the surface of an image and, after the reach, gradually decreases from an initial value. Alternatively, the weight of the weighting function is zero to some midpoint of the projection line and, after the midpoint, gradually decreases from the initial value. The midpoint is adjustable. The attenuation characteristic is given by an exponential function. Parameters of the exponential function are adjustable.