PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To identify the area of a treatment target in a necessary and sufficient range for an abnormal area when an image diagnosis is conducted using a three-dimensional medical image representing an inner structure of a subject constituted by a branch structure and a peripheral structure.SOLUTION: A lesion area detection unit 33 detects an abnormal peripheral structure (lesion area) from the three-dimensional medical image, a pulmonary blood vessel extraction unit 32 extracts a branch structure (pulmonary blood vessel) from the three-dimensional medical image, an associated blood vessel identification unit 35 identifies an associated branch structure functionally associated with the abnormal peripheral structure based on position information of each point in the extracted branch structure, and an associated lung parenchymal area identification unit 36 identifies an associated peripheral structure (lung parenchyma) functionally associated with the identified associated branch structure based on the position information of each point in the extracted branch structure.COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT【課題】分枝構造と周辺構造とからなる被検体内構造物を表す3次元医用画像を用いた画像診断を行う際に、異常領域に対して必要十分な範囲の処置対象の領域を特定可能にする。【解決手段】病変領域検出部33が3次元医用画像から異常周辺構造(病変領域)を検出し、肺血管抽出部32が3次元医用画像から分枝構造(肺血管)を抽出し、関連血管特定部35が、抽出された分枝構造中の各点の位置情報に基づいて、異常周辺構造と機能的に関連する関連分枝構造を特定し、関連肺実質領域特定部36が、抽出された分枝構造中の各点の位置情報に基づいて、特定された関連分枝構造と機能的に関連する関連周辺構造(肺実質)を特定するようにした。【選択図】図2
