Abstract: The present invention writes the obtained two-dimensional image data of a body including a diseased portion in a computer or the like, and displays a three-dimensional image of the body including the diseased portion and the related data in the same monitor. The diseased portion data is then converted into a three-dimensional construction with use of a three-dimensional construction reconstructing section. The geometrical center of the three-dimensional constructed image is calculated by a geometrical center calculation section, and a plurality of linear lines or one linear line having the shortest distance directing from the geometrical center to the outside of the body is then calculated. The calculated line/lines is/are displayed to be overlapped on an image of the body including the diseased portion. In this manner, the present invention provides a stereotaxy operation route searching apparatus for showing a guideline of a low-invasive operation strategy to an operator, and the searching method.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus comprises a navigation-related information generating section and a display section. The navigation-related information generating section measures the position and orientation of an object and a target in a three-dimensional space and generate navigation-related information to be used for navigating the object toward the target. The display section displays the navigation-related information generated by the navigation-related information generating section in any of different modes depending on the relationship of the position and orientation of the object and that of the target. A surgical operation image acquisition/display apparatus comprises an observation section, an image display section and a specifying section. The observation section includes a plurality of observation sections whose position and orientation is modifiable.

Abstract: A medical operation simulator includes a three-dimensional image reconstruction section, an instrument-image forming section, and an approach data presenting section. The three-dimensional image reconstructing section processes data representing slice images, thereby generating three-dimensional image data. The three-dimensional image data is supplied to a display device. The instrument-image forming section forms an image of a medical instrument. The image moves in the same way that a medical instrument provided on an operation input device is manipulated by an operator. The instrument-image forming section supplies data representing the image of the instrument to the display device. The display device displays the image of the instrument together with a three-dimensional image represented by the three-dimensional image data generated by the three-dimensional image reconstructing means.